The Adept Ranger
by Galdr
Summary: Matthew wishes to become a Pokemon Ranger, and goes to the Almia region to attend the Ranger School. He soon befriends two students, Rhythmi and Keith, with a sinister group plotting behind the scenes. And something about that Keith boy seems odd... [Cover image by me]
1. Ready to Go! What, a fight already?

Today was the day Matthew would finally be able to sail across the Eastern Seas and into the region of Almia. He was going to become a Pokémon Ranger—it was his way to help the people in the world. He got up, bright and early, gathered his packed bags, and sadly, had to leave his treasured weapon, Sol Blade behind. He was going to miss it, and that's not the only thing he was going to miss.

"Matthew! Come on down, son! The ship to Almia's here!" called his mother, Jenna, from downstairs. They, his family, stayed the night at Port Rago's Inn since Kalay wasn't anywhere near the ocean. "You'll be late and miss it! Hurry up!"

"Eh, coming!" the teen yelled, quickly dressing in his usual attire. He raced to his inn door, and stopped briefly, feeling a pang of guilt stir inside him. He really wanted to bring Sol Blade with him; they were like brothers you couldn't separate. Without a thought longer, Matthew grabbed the hilt of the blade and scurried out. He jumped the twenty set of stairs and landed right next to his mother, startling her a second. "I'm ready, Mom." He said, smiling.

"I see that—wait. Why are you bringing this?" Jenna hinted at Sol Blade held in her son's grasp. Matthew grinned cheekily before letting a full sigh escape his mouth. "Sol Blade's my good luck charm, and I always bring it with me, no matter what. Come on, Mom. Let me bring it, I promise I won't use it on anyone." The Fire Adept eyed her son suspiciously, a sluggish frown played upon her features. "I don't think you should, Matt… The islanders at Almia might think it's threatening…"

"Jenna, let him take it. He'll be all right." A masculine voice from behind her, all too recognizable by the others, spoke gently. Jenna turned around, as did MATTHEW; she still carried the frown while Matthew was grinning. "Oh, Isaac…"

"Jenna, he'll be fine. Trust in him. He's growing independently." Isaac smiled, looking down at his nearly cloned image of himself that presented to be his son. "If anything, Sol Blade will keep him out of trouble, like it has for me. Correct, Matthew?"

"Heh, yeah. Thanks Dad." Matthew replied. The sound of a ship's horn blowing alerted the family; it was getting time to set sail. "My ride's here. I better get going." He said, turning to give his parents a family hug. "I'm going to miss you guys…"

"We're going to miss you too, son." Isaac said, rubbing his hair affectionately as did Jenna. She gave her son a forehead kiss before they left the inn. Outside, the warm sun was invigorating and bright, and not too far from the docks were all of Matthew's friends! Woah, where did they come from? In the midst of them, he saw the one he could have sworn was a figment of his imagination, but wasn't. Matthew skeptically glanced towards the long, blue-haired man who was standing next to Mia and her children. "…Alex?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you here?"

"My, can I not give my 'adopted nephew' a cheerful farewell?"

"…I would say no, but you seem to have changed your evil ways."

"Yes… to satisfy for my dear Mia… and my wonderful son."

"Right. Well, thanks anyway."

Just at the mentioning of 'son', Amiti approached Matthew with a sorrowful grin on his face. He was adorned in his Ayuthaian clothes, as presentable as a King. Alongside him was the Morgal Queen, the beastwoman, Sveta. Both her and Amiti shared the same expression; Matthew felt a tad guilty from seeing them like so. "Matthew, my friend, I will miss you." Amiti spoke up, giving his good friend a friendship hug.

"I will miss you too, Amiti. Lead Ayuthay well." The Earth Adept turned to the beastwoman, trying to hold his cheerful grin. However, deep down, her tearful face was nagging at him. "…Sveta."

"I will try not to worry, Matthew." She approached him closely, fighting the urge to cry. Not just tears of sadness, but of joy and hope. "Please, send us letters of your adventure in Almia."

"I will. I promise." The two embraced deeply for only a moment longer, until a very brash young man with spiky red hair came out to disrupt them, along with another young woman with light green hair tied in a ponytail with an older man, around his thirties, with blond hair in a low ponytail itself. "Matt. I'm going to miss you." Karis, the green haired teen said, smiling.

"Me too, buddy. I know you'll be happy there, but don't forget about us!" Tyrell, the redhead added after. "After all, I heard your uncle's going to be finding some place over there, so you'll have someone in your family there with you." Matthew nodded to his two, best childhood friends. He was grateful for them, as they supported him always as he would for them. "I won't forget you guys, ever. You guys stay healthy and write me back when you get my letters."

"Well of course we will, dork!" Tyrell nudged his blond-haired friend lightly in the arm.

"That's a nice boat you're taking." Eoleo, another Fire Adept, much older than Tyrell but younger than said teen's father, noticed the ship docked at the port, called the S.S. Alchemy. The long haired man faced Matthew, grinning. "I hope you get there safely, bud."

"Thanks Eoleo."

"And don't forget what we've taught you!" exclaimed Garet, Tyrell's father. Matthew sighed and the older man got stares and glares from the surrounding group, mainly from the boy's parents. Especially from Jenna. Garet noticed his childhood friends giving him stares and quizzically challenged them with a "What?" expression plastered to his face. Never minding him, Rief and his older sister, Mia, their mother and Piers, another fellow Water Adept and an experienced sailor, approached Matthew next.

"Matt!" hollered the younger Water Adept with glasses. "Good luck with your training there! Oh, I can't wait to hear what these creatures called 'Pokémon' are like!"

"As do I." Kraden, a scholar of the group wearing a brown cloak, and had long, graying hair, added. "I wish I could come along with you!" The group laughed at Kraden's comment, knowing it was the truth. If something perked even the slightest interest to the scholar, he would be all over it for days on end until he figured it out. "Be sure you include sketches of the creatures in your letters. Send a LOT of them, too!" The younger Earth Adept nodded again. "Heh, I will Kraden. You and your research…"

"I hope you make new friends there, Matthew. Then, you'll have more to write about in your letters." Mia chirped happily.

"Take care on your adventure, Matthew." Nowell said after, smiling.

"Oh, and if there are ports there, let ME know too! That way, I can sail the group here to there someday." Piers added, grinning cheerfully.

"I definitely will try, Miss Mia, and Piers. Thank you, Nowell."

Next to approach Matthew was the Yamatan princess, Himi. She was Venus Adept just like him; Matthew smiled and lightly hugged the priestess. "Hey, Himi. You came along, as well."

"Yes. I had a vision you would be leaving. I asked my older brother Takeru to sail a boat here so that I may see you off." Himi replied, her cherry-red eyes staring into the older Adept's own. "Matthew, I will miss you. You have a long way to go, as predicted. But the end is your choice to decide. Be successful."

"Thank you, Himi. I will. I'm going to miss all of you."

"ALL ABOARD! Passengers get ready! We're shovin' off in five!" hollered the Captain of the vessel. The group all heard and sighed. It was time for their Venus Adept to go. "I better be off then." Said Matthew as he turned to his parents, giving them one last hug, embracing them deeply. "Mom, Dad. Thank you."

"Oh, Matthew… I know this is what you want to do… I can't keep you here, but do know that your mother loves you." Jenna said softly, rubbing his back.

"Your father also loves you, don't forget that either. If you want to come back here, the house is always open. But, make sure you come back accomplished with everything, you hear?" Isaac added. Matthew chuckled, shedding a few tears from his parents' words, taking a deep breath all the while. Almia was going to be a whole new world compared to Weyard. He was going farther than he had ever been before. "I… won't come back until I've done everything I want to do. So, Mom and Dad, be on the lookout for my letters. I will send one every chance I get."

"That will give us ease and comfort." The Fire Adept grinned, releasing her son. "Also, be sure to tell Felix that—"

"He knows, Jenna." Isaac interjected, laughing and also releasing Matthew from the embrace. "I gave word to my brother-in-law a week ago about your threats about him bringing that stupid mask with him."

"Hmph. He better not take it with him."

"Ha-ha! I wouldn't put it past him, though. Anyway, Matt. Go on ahead and board the ship. You don't want to miss it. Be good on your journey, and remember that having friends makes life easier and healthier." Ivan, Karis' father added. The boy nodded, picking up his things and got in line of boarding the ship. He flashed his ticket and stepped through, the board closing after he was in. He was on the deck now, high above the dock and waved to his family, friends, and even the 'notorious' Alex. The ship's loud horn whistled, the sail was dropped, and the large, luxury-like vessel was taking off in the wind's direction.

"Matthew! Be safe! Take care of yourself!" Karis, Mia and Sveta waved back, shouting.

"Take care of yourself!" Amiti, Himi, Kraden, Rief and Eoleo shouted and waved next.

"I love you, son!" Isaac and Jenna said aloud.

"Be well!" Nowell waved. When Alex said nothing, Mia sent him a death glare and prepared her ankh to whack him with it. The groups seemed to have sweatdropped comically, as did the long-haired Water Adept. Sighing in defeat, he waved to the leaving Earth Adept. "Be careful on the way there!" he said, still getting stares from his cousin and chuckles from Amiti.

"You better write us!" Tyrell half threatened. "I'll come there myself if you don't!"

Matthew laughed, knowing full well his best friend would do so. They were slowly fading out of view, and he could barely make out their forms. The strong wind whipped his long, spiky hair wildly as well as his golden scarf he inherited from his father, draped around his neck. They were getting further away, and he was slowly getting saddened to leave his home of Weyard, but he kept on a determined face. He was going somewhere that no Adept has ever been before. How exciting! This was something to not miss out on, and something to not turn his back to as well.

At around noontime, after everyone was assigned for their designated cabins, lunch time was being served in the lower deck. Matthew kept Sol Blade with him, as well as getting odd stares from the other passengers. He was the only one who looked different; nearly everyone was adorned in red and black outfits, and there were many others with other colors on. Must have been some costume party on board before I got on. he thought, not really minding the odd difference. He filled his plate with smoked ham, rice, and sweetened potatoes; his favorite dish that Garet often cooked at the Lookout Cabin. He sat down at an empty table, picking up his fork and started grubbing down on his food.

"Mmm it's so delicious!" he moaned, grinning from ear to ear.

"_Is it really that good?_" asked his glowing blade, which may have seemed odd to everyone around but not to the Adept. Matthew nodded, nudging his sword friendly. "You should come out of that form and share my plate, Sol."

"_…You know I can't. There are so many people on board. They'll give me weird looks. And, you know I don't like attention like that…_"

"Awwh fine, but you're totally missing out on this."

Matthew continued eating happily, ignoring all the odd stares he was getting, mainly because of the large sword at his side. A few minutes passed, and someone was approaching his table. "Hey there." The Adept looked up, coming eye to eye with a taller male with wild, navy blue hair, matching eyes and wearing a red and black outfit as well as a nifty red headband. He was grinning from ear to ear, carrying his plate with him. "May I sit here with you?"

Matthew nodded, finishing his ham quietly. The older teen sat down at an open chair around the table, placing his plate with him. He was loaded with a weird sandwich, according to Matthew's eyes; it was curved bread, meat, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickles and bacon bits in it, and he had weird, yellow stick things as well, with ketchup on the side. Matthew continued to stare, and noticing it was very rude to, so he asked his apparent question. "What do you have there?"

"A hamburger and French fries." The taller boy replied, smiling. "French fries are made out of potatoes. They're cut thin and then fried a little. It's good."

"Oh, that's pretty interesting." Matthew acknowledged, having learned two new food names.

"Yeah. I noticed you were from that place called Weyard and you looked new. It's nice to meet you. My name's Lunick." He extended his hand, and Matthew took the friendly handshake. After they shook hands, a yellow colored creature with blue blotches on its ears, paws, cheeks with an odd minus-sign shape, and dark eyes hopped onto the table. "And, this is my Pokémon partner, Minun. She's an Electric Type. We've been together for three years now."

Matthew stared, fixated on the creature that was before him. So, this is a Pokémon? Wow, I can feel special energy radiating off them. They're almost like little animals with Psynergy! It's cute. The Adept extended a welcoming hand to the Pokémon, smiling. "Hello Minun. It's nice to meet you." The electric type mouse frowned, becoming very afraid of the newcomer. She couldn't understand why, but this guy had strange powers, and it made her shudder. It only reminded her of one thing.

"…Ground type!" Minun squeaked in Pokélanguage, backing away and hiding behind Lunick. Matthew blinked, perplexed why she sounded so afraid of him. It was then he noticed he could understand her odd language so easily. He maybe thought it was because Sveta had rubbed off on him. However, he felt he could communicate with the creature in her own language; it seemed like it had just slipped into his vocabulary, so he tried it out. "…Pardon? 'Ground type'? Well, I am of the…erm, ground like Psynergy…" This astounded Lunick when he heard this!

"Woah…" was all the teen could utter in shock.

"You… you can understand me?" Minun was also in shock. "And you're talking the language of the Pokémon! This just seems… impossible!"

Matthew frowned. "It's very complex, but I felt it hit my tongue right away when you spoke. I don't know why… It just feels right to be talking to you in your own language. But, you seem afraid of me… Is it because of this… 'Ground type' you mentioned?"

"Yes! Very much so! We electric types don't like ground types! It's our weakness!" Minun complained.

Matthew stayed silent for a minute, having taken notice of Lunick's baffled expression. "Oh, sorry Lunick. I don't mean to leave you out of the conversation. Your Minun's afraid of me. It must be my smell or something. She says I'm like a ground type, and she's afraid of it."

"Amazing! You understood Minun and could even speak in the tongue of Pokémon!" The blue-haired teen grinned. "I knew that residents in Weyard had magical talent, but it's even better to see it up close."

"Uh…yeah. Heheh." Matthew didn't have much comment on that. "But at any rate. She's scared of me. She said so herself. I'll go ahead and leave. It was nice meeting you Lunick, Minun. I hope we meet again." The Adept smiled, standing up, picked up his plate and blade and walked off. He gave his plate to a waiter nearby, then left the café deck, heading up to the top floors. Lunick sighed, hoping it wasn't Minun that scared him away. But, he didn't understand what the kid meant about him being a 'ground type'. It was then he forgot to ask the guy for his name! "Augh! I didn't get his name! Shoot!"

"Hey Lunick, what's going on?" A cheery, woman's voice caught his attention from his left. A young lady, adorned in nearly the same clothing as he—albeit a little skimpy—with light blue hair, matching eyes, also wearing a red headband. Her low ponytail was spiked up, and her smile was charming. Lunick returned her grin and patted the chair next to him for her to sit down. "Hey Solana."

She took the seat, and then noticed Lunick's expression change. "What's wrong?"

"Met a boy here not too long ago. He was very friendly, and check it out; he's a native from the place we stopped at."

"Weyard? Really?"

"Yeah. It was really cool. He could talk to Minun in the Pokémon language. They were having a small conversation and everything. It was unbelievable!"

Solana gasped in delight, allowing her giddy fangirlism to control her. She loved hearing about the country called Weyard; it was very secluded from the rest of the enormous world and none of its residents had ever been outside of it. Just hearing about this piqued her interest. "Oh my! That's so awesome! I wish I could have been there! Did you get his name?"

"Eeehh…no. I was so caught up in my fascination that I forgot to ask." Lunick replied, frowning a little. "But I know what he looks like. I mean, everyone should. He stands out like a sore thumb. Nobody has hair like him, and in that color, too."

"Well, then that's good. Maybe we can find out where his cabin is and go meet him!"

"Hm, that's not a bad idea. Before we do that, I'm hungry and I don't want my burger and fries to get cold."

"Ha-ha. Well, go ahead and eat. I'm going to get something too. Do you mind if Plusle stays here with you?"

"I don't mind."

"Great! Be right back!" Solana got up from her chair and quickly headed for the meal line, grabbing a plate and checked out many servings of different meals in the buffet. As she was doing so, an identical creature to Minun, only having red blotches where the blue was, with the difference of a plus-sign on amidst the red on his cheeks, hopped up to the table, grinning. He then took notice of his fellow Cheering Pokémon and skeptically eyed her.

"Minun? What's the matter? You look pale in the face."

"Plusle. That kid that Lunick was talking about… He has a weird aura. I could literally feel it. If I was twenty feet away, it could still be felt! That's just how strong it was!"

"Wh-what? Really? A human can have such a strong aura like that? Wow. He must have been meditating his whole life to master such a feat."

"It felt like Groudon's aura, only stronger!"

Plusle's eyes went bug-eyed when she spoke of the Legendary's name. Then she had said someone's aura, let alone a mere human's, was stronger than the colossal Pokémon? Impossible! "Minun… are you sure? That sounds so outlandish and it's not even funny to joke about."

"I'm serious, Plusle! You have to believe me! I was scared for my life! His aura was literally screaming 'Earthquake!' at me! I've never felt so terrified in my whole days of living!" The red eared mouse took a heavy sigh, pondering her words. It still sounded like she was making this up, but he knew his best friend never told lies. It was almost impossible to for the blue-eared mouse Pokémon. Lunick, during their little chat, wasn't paying much attention to them, too busy fantasizing about his French fries being dipped into the ketchup to meet his taste bud needs.

Not much later, Solana returned to the table, her plate filled with Macaroni and cheese, grilled chicken legs, three pepperoni pizza slices, and steamed carrots. "I'm back!" she chirped, startling her fellow Ranger friend out of his fantasies and snapping the Hoenn native Pokémon out of their chat. "Look, Plusle, I got your favorite pepperoni pizza!"

"YES! All that worrying made me hungry!" the red-eared electric type squeaked happily, taking a slice and taking a big bite. He turned to Minun, holding the pizza slice to her. "Want some? It's good and you should eat."

"W-well, OK." Minun slowly took the pizza and bit into its cheesiness. The melting of said cheesiness in her mouth gave her a better emotion change and she suddenly forgot about the issue of the human with a stronger aura than a legendary Pokémon. This pizza was way too important right now. Solana and Lunick laughed at their Partner Pokémon eating together, and happily ate their food as well. They endorsed themselves in a random conversation about what they heard was in Weyard and how they didn't have any Pokémon coexisting there.

It was around six thirty seven in the evening, and Matthew was in his cabin room, lying on the bed, his eyes closed. He was still mulling over the conversation he had with Lunick's Minun earlier; it was really bugging him. The golden blade to his right began to glow brightly, taking shape of a human with matching features of Matthew, though the hair was a whitish yellow color, pale white eyes and adorned in similar clothes to its wielder. The only thing it didn't have were the long scarf and its hair was spikier and longer. "_Master Matthew_…_ I can read you like an open book. Please stop worrying about that._"

"Sorry Sol. I just… can't. I can't believe I scared Minun. I didn't want to."

"_You didn't do it on purpose. It just happened. It'll be all right, just wait and see._"

"Sigh… I hope you're right."

"_I'm always right… At the right times, of course._" Sol smiled, standing over its wielder with its shining eyes. Matthew's mood changed slightly, his eyes meeting his weapon's. Being around Sol always helped him cheer up. They were like siblings, and to Matthew, Sol seemed like the older brother he never knew existed until they met at the Apollo Lens. "…Thanks Sol."

"_You're very welcome, Master._"

"Just call me by my real name. You don't have to call me that."

"_Very well then._"

There was a long moment of silence between them, Matthew took notice of the rising moon from his cabin's window, and Sol was sitting by the bedside, eyes closed and meditating. The silence was broken by the startling siren of the ship and a voice that boomed over the intercom: **Monsters aboard the deck! Monsters aboard the deck! Everyone report to your cabins immediately until further instructed! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! Lock your cabin doors and stay put until an official comes by to give you clearance!** Uh-oh! The Earth Adept shot up abruptly, not only being terrified of the intercom's technology, but of hearing that monsters from the Eastern Seas could be attacking the ship.

"Great! I was trying to have fun without them." Matthew complained as Sol stood up from its position. "Seems like they wanted to give me a going-away gift. Let's not be rude and welcome them."

Sol grinned deviously, knowing exactly what its master wanted to do. "Let's do." Both rushed out of the cabin, bypassing several scurrying passengers who were running about, frantically trying to find their cabins and to safety. There were too many people on, and the stampeded was impending his way. At this rate, I'll never make it there on time! The Adept groaned irritably. "HEY! Watch out, coming through!"

Sailors and their Captain were on the deck, using their Pokémon they sent out from their Pokéballs to battle the monsters that boarded. There were many Lizard-like creatures armed with spiked heads, tails, shields and long, razor sharp blades in their right hands tightly. They snarled and attacked viciously; the trainers ordered their Pokémon to evade. "Zangoose, use Crush Claw!" commanded one of the sailors.

"Sawk, use Close Combat!" commanded the Captain.

The two Pokémon obeyed, lunging at two of the grouped lizard monsters, their attacks landing a successful hit on their opponents. Growling in fury, the two reptilian fiends struck the two Pokémon aside like rag dolls with their blades. The other two that were with them laughed, claiming victory on that round of battle. Another batch of sailors came around, their faces contorted with rage.

"Throh, go! Use Seismic Toss!"

"Vaporeon, use Scald!"

"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"

All three lunged at their foes, preparing their attacks. However, the lizards dodged nimbly, and ferociously slammed the magical creatures away easily. The Pokémon rocked towards the edge of the ship, feeling the pain in their bodies. The Vaporeon gritted his teeth, baring his fangs at the lizard man. "Fiend! You'll pay for that!" snarled the aqueous Pokémon venomously.

"Ku-ku-ku! Let'ssss ssssee you try, vermin!" hissed one of the reptiles, tauntingly.

"Humph! You'll be tasting my water attacks soon enough!"

The Vaporeon's trainer noticed his Pokémon getting up and burning in rage. He grinned at his partner's enthusiasm and jabbed a finger at the lizards. "Vaporeon! Quick Attack!" The water type raced towards the bunch, speeding about, dodging their blade attacks all the while circling them with his increased agility. When he found an opening, he lunged with forward, using his momentum to head butt the taunting fiend right in his back, knocking him into his cohorts. They all hissed with fury, now fuming with anger. Vaporeon grinned victoriously, but didn't celebrate for long; his opponents still had plenty of energy left. Solana and Lunick had raced up to the deck with Plusle and Minun, watching with worry. They were Rangers, not Trainers, and couldn't do much but hope the sailors and their Pokémon won.

"Come on Vaporeon! You can do it!" Solana cheered.

"Yeah! Raichu, Zangoose, Sawk, Throh! You guys beat these monsters!" roared the sailors encouragingly.

"Make them walk the plank! Show them they have no place on this deck!" Lunick added, smirking confidently. The Pokémon got up, filled with renewed energy and ready to fight back and defend their master's ship with their very beings. The group of Pokémon surrounded the lizard fiends, fists, fangs, claws and cheeks sparking, prepared. The Captain and his crew smirked themselves, feeling invigorated with new energy boosted from the cheering. Plusle and Minun jumped into the fray as well, going to lend help by using Helping Hand.

"Ready, Minun?"

"You bet, Plusle!" She chirped, then turning to the other Pokémon. "Guys! Let's show these fools who we're made of! Make them remember not to mess with us!"

"YEAH!" jeered the other Pokémon in unison. The two Hoenn natives sparked their cheeks like Raichu, but they were of a different color; white.

"Hissss! You fools won't beat ussss so eassssily!" hissed another lizard. Plusle huffed at him, his dark eyes narrowed hatefully at the one who spoke. "Oh yeah? You'll regret those words!"

"We only want the boy whose on board! Give ussss the boy and we'll go!"

The Captain stepped up this time, fists clenched. "The boy you want is one of my passengers! I ain't about to let ya'll get to him! Protecting him is my top priority so you's better forget it!"

"Humph! Pompous fool! So be it! We'll kill you ALL! My brothers! Let them rot in the watery grave below! KILL THEM!"

Solana and Lunick exchanged glances to one another. What boy were these monsters looking for? They hoped it wasn't one of their friends on board! "Plusle! Use Helping Hand!" Solana commanded.

"You too, Minun!"

The Cheering Pokémon obeyed, lending their assistance to the other Pokémon, giving them more power.

"Zangoose! Close Combat!"

"Sawk! Slam 'em with Brick Break!"

"Raichu, hit them hard with Shock Wave!"

"Vaporeon! Use Hydro Pump!"

"Throh! Use Close Combat as well!"

The Captain and his crew threw their commands, their respective Pokémon obeyed and all launched their attacks in unison. The Close Combat users struck first, then Sawk came up with his Brick Break, followed by the brilliant combination of an electrical powered Hydro Pump. The lizards had blocked the close quarter attacks but didn't evade the Shock Wave infused Hydro Pump! They were pushed off deck, landing into the water below! The sailors, added by the two Rangers, celebrated. Victory was theirs! "We won! We won!" The light blue-haired young woman chirped happily. Plusle and Minun were dancing around with the other Pokémon excitedly, well with Raichu and Vaporeon that was. Sawk, Throh and Zangoose crossed their arms confidently, but there was no doubt they were thrilled to win the battle.

Matthew and Sol had reached the deck a while during the fight, having seen the combined attack of Shock Wave and Hydro Pump. They were literally amazed at how these creatures packed so much power. They could be called a new brand of Djinn if one wasn't too careful. "Sol… Did you see that? They wiped those Lizardman right off the deck."

"_Indeed. It seems that we won't be seeing those fools for a while. They got their just desserts._"

"Definitely… But I don't think that was the last of them… We should check to be sure." Matthew jumped off from where he had been, landing right in front of Solana and Lunick, startling them. "Ah!" they cried.

"Oh, whoops! Sorry!" Matthew apologized quickly. Sol landed right next to him, scaring the daylight out of the Rangers too. "Anyway, let's sweep up and check, Sol."

"Right." The two left, leaving the Rangers baffled for words. Lunick was glad to see the young boy was okay, and again, while Solana's lip quivered. Not from fear or being cold, but for being amazed. Was this the boy Lunick was talking about? "L-Lunick? Is that him?"

"Yeah. I thought my description of him was… bad."

"No no. Your words were nearly spot on! W-we should go talk to him! Oooh I'm so nervous!" Lunick sighed and followed his giddy friend. Matthew didn't notice them, and as they were close to approaching him, something struck at Lunick! It was sword of incredible size, mauling straight into his thigh, grabbing him and knocking him off the ship, sending him pummeling into the deep sea waters below! Solana screamed, and the sailors panicked in shock; it happened so fast!

"LUNICK!" she bellowed, tears flooding out of her eyes. Matthew snapped around, seeing the same four lizardman monsters boarding the deck yet again. They were far from being finished, and the Pokémon were on edge again. These guys just don't know when to give up! "LUNICK!" Minun cried, fearful of losing her best friend. She didn't waste anymore time; she jumped over, heart heavy with emotion as she was desperate to save him. "Minun!" Plusle roared with worry, but his voice didn't reach her in time. His eyes darkened even more, rage consuming him like a wild fire. "You fiends will pay for what you've done to Lunick!"

"HAH! That fool wassss in our way!" laughed one of the lizards. Then, he noticed Matthew and his apparent doppelganger of a sword next to him. He sneered lustfully, jabbing his blade in the boy's direction. "There he isssss!" The others turned around, noticing the Earth Adept as well and jeered. They had found whom they were searching for! "Time to earn our prize! Capture him!" The reptile swordsmen charged for Matthew, loving the fact he was unarmed and would be easy prey. Solana snapped around, her heart beating rapidly. "W-watch out!" she cried, warning Matthew.

The boy evaded each strike the lizards aimed for him, following their movements easily. He had battled these buffoons before and their technique was definitely old news to him. He jumped away, holding his right hand out. "Sol!" he cried, the humanized weapon obeyed his voice. It lit up in a golden light, taking the shape of the oversized sword that most had recognized and the pommel was now grasped in Matthew's hand. The teen avoided another horizontal strike against him, and he countered with a vertical attack of his own, felling one of the lizards. The remaining three hissed venomously, enraged at their fallen cohort and rushed the boy again.

Matthew twirled about, dancing head to head with all three of them with his large blade, bouncing their attacks off like they were inflatable beach balls. "Sol, we have to finish them quick! Lend me your power!"

"_On it! Psynergy Vitality, connected!_" Sol responded, its entire blade glowing with hot, white flames of molten energy infused. Matthew's body submerged in this same energy, as did his hair for reasons he didn't know why at the moment, and leapt up high. The entire skies turned into a deep red color, as if the deities above were angered, and an enormous, sphere of earthen magic was summoned from nowhere, and synced with Sol Blade and its wielder.

"**_MEGGIDO!_**" Both Matthew and Sol blared, slamming the flaming sphere of energy straight at the lizards. For what appeared to be 'invisible magic' to the common folk, the ones on deck couldn't see this marvelous, but apparently dangerous ball of golden fire being launched straight at the ship! They could only feel the energy, but didn't know where it came from. The Pokémon gaped in awe, feeling no malice from this energy, but their trainers were freaking out. Solana, however, having seen this with her own eyes, felt captivated and privileged to see the boy whom she wanted to speak to in action. Plusle was speechless; Minun was right about this guy's aura being stronger than Groudon's! In fact, it felt like it was about twenty times stronger.

The earthen sphere struck the remaining three, who couldn't evade in time, and incinerated them entirely to nothing. Matthew landed to his feet easily, satisfied. But, something felt very wrong. "_Matthew! That Lunick boy and his Minun are overboard! Help them!_" Sol warned. The teenaged Adept didn't hesitate another second; he dropped Sol Blade and rushed over the edge of the ship where Lunick had fell, and dived in. The sailors, Solana and Plusle, along with the other Pokémon ran over as well, all worried and petrified. What was that guy thinking?

"…Ready a life boat! And quick!" the Captain ordered his crew, which they obeyed without a second thought.

Underwater, Matthew found a struggling Minun trying to swim to the surface with Lunick's body tightly in her paws. He hurriedly swam to them, knowing time was against him. Minun didn't see or notice him, but she felt that 'Earthquake!' aura again and had a feeling who it was. When she turned around, there he was, the boy from the table. She wanted to scream, but couldn't; his gentle hands were around her small body as the other grabbed Lunick's, and began swimming up. He noticed that something splashed into the water; he faintly recognized it to be a lifeboat. Thank goodness!

_Sol. He's hurt. I'm going to use Psynergy to heal him._ Matthew sent telepathically to his blade.

On deck, the golden sword had already assumed its human form, freaking out most but ignored the stares as they weren't important. "_All right, Matthew. I will be here waiting and will assist if needed._" The teen surfaced, getting a grasp of air into his burning lungs and found the lifeboat. He swam quickly to it, letting Minun in first, then lifted the unconscious body of Lunick in next and he held onto the boat's edge, exhausted to bring himself in. "…U-up! Bring it up!" Matthew coughed, choking on the sea water.

"Hurry! Pull it up! Pull it up!" The Captain ordered, his crew and he himself tugging the rope to raise the boat to the deck level. Once it was secured, the sailors picked up both Lunick and Matthew and raced to get medical supplies. Plusle and Solana collapsed to the teen Ranger's side, panicking. "Oh, Lunick! Lunick! Say something!" Solana sobbed, clutching his hand tightly in hers. Minun was crying in Plusle's arms, unable to take the emotional pain she was suffering. She had let her friend down. Sol quickly aided its master towards Lunick, and the Adept was out of breath. Despite he knew Water Psynergy spells, he was not a fan of going underwater for a long duration.

"…He will be all right." He spoke to the crying Solana, who only looked to him with a quizzical expression. Before she could say anymore, Matthew waved his hands over Lunick's unconscious body. Tapping into his minimal Mercury power, he drew up the excessive water that plunged into the Ranger's lungs, drawing it out from his mouth. Lunick was now choking, being shaken to life miraculously! Minun and Plusle gaped in awe, as did Solana. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! Then, Matthew clapped his hands together, golden light forming into his hands, stretching out like a miniature sun. The same light enveloped him, and Sol could see his wielder was adding a little of his own soul power into the move. It was the dreaded Psynergy technique it disliked the most. "Revive." Matthew whispered, putting his hands onto Lunick's chest. The energy swirled into the older's body, healing his thigh wound completely and revitalizing him. His eyes slowly opened, only half lidded, and his gaze found the worried expression of Solana, and the tired eyes of the boy he met at the table.

"…Solana…?" Lunick choked on her name weakly, but he was definitely all right. The girl Ranger gasped in delight, her worries ceasing as did Minun's. Hoenn native Pokémon and she hugged the male Ranger tightly, thrilled he wasn't dead. Matthew smiled warmly, knowing he did a good deed. He knew even his father would be proud of this feat. "…Sol… I am glad he's okay…" Matthew spoke softly and collapsed forward. The human weapon caught its wielder before he hit Lunick, and held his body close to itself. Solana, Minun, Lunick, Plusle, and the remaining sailors stared, the two Hoenn natives wondering what that light they saw, and how come the ship wasn't damaged from that earthen sphere attack earlier.

"_Yes, I am too._" Sol replied to its sleeping master, picking him up. The blade man eyed the Captain, who nodded in understanding. Sol walked off the deck and into the main ship cabins, heading for Matthew's assigned cabin to lay him rest. "Wait!" Solana called after them, but was too late; Sol had already disappeared that quick. "I didn't even get his name…"

"Aye. That was Matthew." The Captain said, having heard Solana. "He's from Weyard. The port we were at hours ago, was Port Rago. Famous fer its ship repairs n all. The boy's what they call an 'Adept'. They can use magic and stuff. Fascinatin', isn't it?"

Solana merely stared at the elder man when he pronounced the mysterious boy's name, as well as confirming what Lunick told her earlier. "…Yes it is. And, he saved Lunick's life… Matthew's his name, huh? I'll… have to thank him." She told herself, watching where said teen had gone with his apparent duplicate. Those two were such strange people; for one, how could a weapon retain a humanoid appearance? _It's probably something from that Weyard place. Maybe it's a common...thing._ Solana told herself, yet again. The Rangers that were on deck assisted in getting Lunick to his own cabin for him to rest, leaving the blue-haired young woman by herself with the pair of Electric-types. Minun and Plusle glanced up at her, worriedly. The female Ranger caught their gazes, and smiled assuringly.

"Don't worry, you two. Lunick will be all right. Later today... we will pay a visit to him and that Matthew. Does that sound all right?" The two grinned a little, however, Minun sighed afterwards. That power, that kid, just everything about him was complicated. One thing was for certain: how did that human have aura stronger than Groudon?


	2. The start of school! Whoa, new friends?

Five days passed and the S.S. Alchemy had finally arrived in the monster-free waters of the Almia region. They docked at the port of the School docks, and the Earth Adept was let off, along with Lunick and Solana. Apparently, they were headed here as well. Matthew marveled at the school's rich greenery and the large, stone statue of sorts ahead. It had a strange symbol carved into it, but paid it no mind too much. He and Sol Blade were truly amazed by the view. When the S.S. Alchemy left, another, smaller boat came by the docks.

"Matthew, we have to go, but it's been nice knowing you!" Lunick said, grinning. "And, thank you for saving me!"

"I'm going to miss you!" Solana said, giving the sixteen year old a squishing hug. He chuckled, returning the hug and smiled.

"I'll miss you two as well. You both take care." Matthew replied. Minun and Plusle waved as they all boarded the boat. Master and sword waved as well, and then turned around to head up the nearby stairs. He took in a deep breath, and walked slowly. "Sol… I can't believe we're here." He said excitedly. His doppelganger sighed in relief, its eyes staring at its wielder. "_Thank goodness, too. I didn't like how those people were staring at me on the ship…_"

Matthew laughed lightly at his blade's comment and dug into his pocket for something. He pulled out a folded pamphlet and opened it. "According to this, I have to go to this Training Room to take the Entrance Exam." He said, following the in-map's directions. "Oh, yeah." Matthew stopped, and turned to his partner. "Sol, you should probably return to your sword form. And, make it a dagger form so nobody will notice you."

"_Certainly. As long as nobody stares at me again._" it—despite having a masculine looking body and voice—shifted with a magnificent, golden glow enveloping its entirety, taking the shape of a well-crafted dagger. The small hilt and pommel held the traditional gem in the center with a brownish color. The scabbard that went with it shifted to a sizable manner, and Matthew sheathed his weapon, hiding it in one of his bags easily. He continued his trek up the stairs, and marveled at the huge yard in front of him as he stood wide-eyed.

The Earth Adept didn't stay in that spot for long, as he had to be at the Training Room to take his exam. After asking a nice lady named Janice, who was tending to brown, plump creatures with large front teeth of a beaver, he found his destination. Opening the door, he stepped through, expecting something awesome. But, it was unusually quiet, and a little dark. Carefully, he walked inside, feeling creped out and a little scared. Why? He was used to the darkness, especially since that Grave Eclipse and its perpetual darkness. But, for some reason, _this _darkness felt awkward. Thankfully, using his minimal Psynergy, he could feel someone was in the room, so he wasn't alone, person-wise. "Uh… hello?" he called out softly, only to be met with a strange, creepy laugh.

"Heh heh heh. Welcome…" the voice said, sounding very masculine. Soon, the lights were flicked on, scaring Matthew a little more by the spontaneity. "Set down your things." The teen did as instructed, slowly. "To your right, you will find a School Styler on the table. Get one." Awkward as this was becoming by the moment, Matthew looked to his right and there on the brown table, there were these small contraptions of green and white in color, had an antenna of sorts, a small disc at the top, and had a strap that could be easily noted as something to keep it fastened around the wrist. The blond haired Adept walked over, picked up one of the four Stylers, as they were called, and strapped it around his right wrist.

"Very good. Now, step into the center of the room." Said the now visible man, standing a few feet away in the room. Matthew blinked and soundly trekked to the center, standing there patiently. _If this is the test, it's getting really, really creepy…_thought the Earth Adept, sighing deeply. He noticed the floor below had an engraving symbol, just like the statue he encountered earlier. Must be the school's mascot, he thought silently. "Good. Now, to test your abilities, you must first capture this Pikachu…"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Pika-_what_?"

As if on cue, a yellow, mouse creature with red colored cheeks, dark brown eyes, black tips on its rabbit-like ears, brown identical stripes on its back, and a thunderbolt shaped tail came out from nowhere and dashed to the center of the room. Matthew blinked yet again, wondering if this was this, Pika…chu thing. He scratched his head, also wondering how he would 'catch' it. With his hands, maybe? "Um, with my hands?" he asked.

"Heh heh heh, no. With that Styler you have, my boy." The man replied. "To activate the Styler, you must first aim it at the Pokémon, then launch the capture disc. You must make loops around the Pokémon to earn its Friendship. When the Friendship is built entirely, you will know because the capture line will flash a whitish gold, much like your hair, the capture will be complete." Matthew blushed lightly at the mentioning of his hair, and did as instructed. The small, white and red topped disc popped out automatically, and was now on the floor, spinning in motion, waiting for the Styler to move so it could imitate the motion. The Adept noticed the capture disc's line was a faint, transparent light green color that spawned some power to it.

He smiled, and glanced at the Pikachu, who was now backing away from him in fear. "_Matthew…_" Sol's voice echoed into his mind via Psynergy, "_Just think of this as your sword training when you're swinging your blade in a circular motion. Only this time, several times. Use the Styler line as an extension of your hand to steer the disc around the creature._" Sol suggested, having seemed to figure out and decipher how the contraption worked without really trying it. The sword was just smart that way, apparently. Matthew nodded silently to the advice and began trying it out.

* * *

**"**_CAPTURE ON!_**"  
**

* * *

Following his partner's suggestion, Matthew whirled the capture disc around the Pikachu, whom instinctively ran about, trying to get away to prevent capture. It then began sparking up electricity in its cheeks, preparing to damage the capture line. "Matthew! Stop the line!" Sol warned. The teen stopped steering the disc immediately, and Pikachu's shocking attack spread out, hitting nothing. The man standing afar grinned. "Good. But be careful. Pokémon that attack the capture line will cause a jolting pain to the Ranger and the Styler will sustain damage."

Sol rolled its eyes and Matthew sighed at the new, but late, information given. "Well, that's helpful." He uttered softly, before resuming the capturing of Pikachu. He was then reminded of a Wind Adept's electrical powers they could summon as attack Psynergy. _Wind and Earth are opposites, so maybe… maybe I could…_Matthew pondered as he lightly energized his capture line with Venus Psynergy. While it was invisible magic to the man, to Pikachu, it was noticeable and it became even more frightened.

"G-ground type!" it bellowed in Pokélanguage, which Matthew was surprised he could still understand. Sol sighed and muttered something about 'not this again' as the yellow creature dashed about, avoiding capture and creating sparks of attack. The capture line began circling it again, and the crackles of lightning zapped at it. The line took no damage, unfortunately for Pikachu who was stunned by this fact. Matthew twirled the disc a few more times, the line glowed the bright, whitish yellow and Matthew knew instantly he succeeded in capturing Pikachu!

"I did it." He beamed brightly, smiling to himself at the self achievement. The Pikachu trotted back to the man, who revealed to be wearing a green cap, having black hair, dark brown eyes, white shirt under a green vest, blue jeans, black half gloves and black shoes. "Good work…" the man simply said, a sinister grin now upon his face, which Matthew took as a sign of more creepiness. Was this some sort of cult? Did he stumble into the wrong Ranger School by mistake? "Uh…" he merely uttered, unable to find the words to say.

"My name is Kaplan… You are now a member of our secret army, the inscrutable Team School." The green-capped man began, his wicked smile still carved on his face, "As proof of your membership, you are conferred the School Styler you just used." Confusion was swirling into Matthew's brain and he could have sworn the Pikachu was snickering at him. "Together, we shall rule the world…" Kaplan added, scaring the teen. Wait a second. Wasn't this supposed to be a school for learning Rangers? What does ruling the world have to do with saving Pokémon? Glancing in askance, Matthew crinkled his brow and looked away. "Um… er…" he wanted to say something in protest, but the tension was just too much for him. Either this was the wrong school or he was misguided and tricked into entering this evil place to misuse his kindness. Before anything else could happen, the door swung open behind them.

In stepped a young woman, about in her beginning thirties. She had long, light brown hair, light, olive green eyes, a short sleeve, button up green shirt on, with a flowing, white skirt to match. Her shoes were a golden brown color, her skin complexion was fair and light, and she had an air of intelligence blooming about her aura. "Oh please, Mr. Kaplan!" she said, a little irritated with the man before them. "Please don't tease my student with a silly performance like that." Her student? So, this was his teacher, Matthew noted, smiling in relief.

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry. The timing was just too perfect to miss." Mr. Kaplan—his proper titled name—laughed. The Earth Adept sighed and Sol Blade was rambling insults and swearing it would Radiant Fire the man for pulling a dirty and low prank on a new student, especially its master. Fortunately, nobody heard its voice; only Matthew did and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Ahem!" Mr. Kaplan adjusted his voice, "Congratulations! You have passed the Ranger's School's entrance exam with flying colors! That really was quite an impressive capture." Matthew smiled inwardly, feeling even more proud of his accomplishment. The lady teacher stood next to him, took his hand, and smiled herself.

"Congratulations! You've been accepted! Starting today, you are officially a student of the Ranger School." She said happily, and Matthew returned her handshake. "I'm Ms. April and I'm your class's teacher—" Matthew already noticed that as they released hands at this part, "—I'm pleased to meet you!"

"It's good to meet you too, Ms. April. I'm Matthew." The teen introduced and Ms. April nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Matthew… It's such a nice name. Well then, shall we get going? Your classmates are waiting for you. I'll show you to your class. Follow me."

Ms. April walked towards the door, and Matthew trudged along behind her, grabbing his bags before leaving out the door. As he did, Mr. Kaplan waved, smiling wide. "Enjoy your school life!" he shouted.

* * *

Matthew followed his lovely instructor inside the huge, two story school house, marveling the inside in awe. Once he entered, Janice, the nice lady from before approached them, a happy grin upon her face. She was slightly tall; she had brown hair wrapped in tight curls like Princess Leah, brown matching eyes, fair skin, and wore a deep maroon dress with an apron tied around her thin waist. Her shoes were dark brown colored and she seemed extra excited by the new student arrival. "Oh! It's that darling boy again!" Janice exclaimed happily, having recognized Matthew from earlier as well. She never forgot a face. Ms. April laughed lightly, "Hello Janice. Have you two already been acquainted?"

"Yes we have. He asked me earlier where the Training Room was when he came." Janice replied. "Darling, let me take your bags for you. I'll put them in the dorms upstairs."

"…Uh…"

"_Matt… It's okay. I can tell she's pure of heart and won't be nosy. Let her have the bags and me._" Sol spoke softly, having recognized Janice's aura with its Psynergy power. Matthew nodded and gave up his luggage to the nice woman. Janice took them and left for the large hallway ahead, while Ms. April led Matthew towards the left-hand hallway. He felt very detached from his partner, and was lightly saddened. But, he had to be strong without it. He didn't need to worry—if Sol trusted her, then he would too. Ms. April went into the classroom first, telling Matt to wait outside a while until she signaled him in; almost like a surprise. Agreeing to the idea, he waited outside the classroom, his heart full of giggles and excitement.

Through the small window opening provided, Matthew peered inside his appointed classroom; there were six desks, three on each side of the class horizontally, three on the left hand side had a boy and two girls sitting on the opposite sides of him, and to the right, were two boys and an empty seat. He figured that's where he would be sitting at. More carefully, he studied his would-be classmates; the girl sitting in the farthest left side had her light brown hair in two, puffy ponytails, ruffled in mini spikes naturally. Sitting next to her, the middle boy had identical colored hair, shaped oddly like a cow lick and the back ends of his short hair curled slightly outward, and next to him, a girl with bright, blond hair settled in two, low curly ponytails. _That's a nice shade of blond hair. Almost like Ivan's, if not brighter…_Matthew thought to himself as he turned to the other side of the classroom.

The farthest boy sitting on the right had short, black hair, and next to him, was a boy next to the empty seat. He had fiery auburn hair that rang 'I MIGHT BE A GARET CHILD' to Matthew. But, he could be wrong, and he hoped he was wrong. Another Tyrell being here would signal the end of him. "…They're already setting me up…" Matthew sighed to himself as he continued to peer into the window. Ms. April had just walked up to her podium, and turned around to face her class.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, class. And, good morning everyone!"

"Good morning!" chirped the students in unison.

"As I mentioned yesterday, we have a new member for our class." She finished. The students gasped, turning to one another in excitement at their new classmate's arrival. They chatted softly amongst themselves, taking hinted guesses at who the student could be as far as gender, height and hair color went. One boy, the one with black hair, raised his hand and spoke, "Is it a guy? Or a girl? Which is it?" he asked curiously but excitedly.

"Is the new student cute? Cool? Or looks like a celebrity?" asked the female brunette. Ms. April raised her hand to silence the class, chuckling at the questions asked. "Okay, that's enough. You can see for yourself. Here's our latest classmate! Come on in!" That was his cue. Matthew opened the sliding door and walked into the class. All eyes were on him, and he felt ridiculously nervous for some reason and out of place…in many ways. He slowly made his way up front, where he could make out the giddy chattering of his fellow classmates and the faces along with them.

"Our friend came alone to Almia to become a Pokémon Ranger. He's from the distant continent, Weyard." Ms. April started, getting many 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the students. This made Matthew involuntarily shudder from their stares and excitement. Was Weyard really all that special? "Oh yes," the instructor turned to Matthew, who caught her gaze, "You should introduce yourself to our class rather than me." He nodded sluggishly, still quite nervous from the distinct small chatters going about.

"My name is Matthew…" He started, feeling nervous, "I'm glad to be here to learn—"

"You're not wearing the school's uniform!" the giggling brunette blurted, pointing out the obvious. "Is that what your natives wear by chance?" The blond curtly nodded to her question, shaking the inquietude feeling away. She giggled again, making the teen flush, due to his chagrin. "That's a nice outfit!" The other students nodded in approval, and before Ms. April had a chance to say anything else, the black haired boy spoke up again. "So, um Matthew. Do you know magic? I heard Weyard natives were accustomed to magic."

"Uh…" Matthew tried to keep an insouciant simper on his lips, but the question was eating him away, trying to snag its way into his privacy. That is, until Ms. April butted in to save his hide.

"All right students, settle down." She said. "Matthew… It's such a beautiful name. I'm glad you're here with us, too." The Earth Adept chuckled lightly to himself, blushing in embarrassment. But, he felt proud of his name and cherished it. After all, his dad gave him the name, all proud and happy with it when he was born. "Let's make our friend, our newest student, feel welcome.

"I understand that he scored quite well on our entrance exam—actually he scored tremendously well—and… what is it, Keith?" The instructor stopped, turning her gaze to the spiky auburn student; Matthew followed her line of direction. The boy looked completely arrogant and his grey eyes fixed themselves on the blond. He was grinning wide. "Why the big grin?" The boy—now named Keith—kept his grin, which Matthew wondered curiously. "Anyway, we'd better get you seated somewhere, Matthew. You can have the seat next to Keith." Of course, the only open desk. Shrugging, Matthew walked to his newfound desk, pulling the chair out and sitting down, scooting the chair in neatly. He immediately felt like he was in Kraden's house, about to study the next lesson of Alchemy. The Keith boy stole a smirking glance at his classmate before being called to attention.

"Okay, that will do. That's it for treating you like a new transfer student. From now on, you're all my students, people whom I can take pride in teaching. Let's do it, everyone…"

_Do it? Do what? _Matthew wondered, perplexed.

"Let's not fail your dreams of becoming Rangers, Operators and Mechanics!"

"YEAAAH!" shouted all the students sans Matthew. He was still baffled by the random, but lively, outburst. "Okay, I'll change the class schedule especially for today. This will be a free-study class." Ms. April walked up to Matthew's desk, earning his undivided attention, "But before I go, Matthew, I need to explain something to you."

"Yes ma'am?"

"It's about the School Styler—" Uh-oh. Did she know his little secret? "—you were provided before the entrance exam." Matthew tensed, hoping she didn't know anything of the capture line. "It's a simplified version of a Ranger's official Capture Styler." He sighed mentally in relief. "Now, simply put, a Styler is a device used for befriending and capturing Pokémon. By drawing loops around Pokémon, it conveys the Ranger's feelings of friendship." Well, that Pikachu surely didn't want to be his friend, screaming 'GROUND TYPE' at him. "When the Ranger's feelings are fully conveyed, the Pokémon is captured."

The Adept nodded his head, absorbing the information like a wet sponge, noticing these were the basics he had already performed on the entrance exam. "Everyone, you should all be paying attention to this as a review. Ahem, as I was saying, your Styler has many functions you can access, like the Styler's current strength of its line at the bottom of this screen, here," she pointed out, "as well as a handy browser available to you for reviewing which Pokémon you've captured so far. Try them out and see for yourself." She finished, seeing Matthew's grin of understanding. She then frowned and sighed lightly, looking behind Matthew. "Oh please, Keith. Don't yawn with your mouth wide open like that."

The class audibly laughed at Ms. April's comment to Keith, as well as his clowning. "Oh yes, one more thing that's important. As a student of the Ranger School, Matthew, you may have up to three Pokémon—called Friend Pokémon—with you. If you capture a fourth one, you'll have to release one of them. It's the school rules, sadly as it sounds."

"Ah…" was his soft response.

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can look it up on your glossary of your Styler's functions menu, found here." She indicated. "…My, that actually turned out to be quite a lesson in itself. Are you a little overwhelmed?" Now, if this was one of Kraden's lectures of Psynergy, then it would have caused him a brain freeze of a few minutes. But, this was cakewalk compared to the old scholar's ramblings. "No ma'am."

Ms. April grinned, pleased to hear that. "All right then. Remember to try things out. Nothing beats experience." The teacher then faced the blonde haired girl sitting adjacent from Matthew. "Rhythmi, can I get you to show Matthew around the school, please?" The young girl brightened up, smiling happily as her hair. "I sure will!"

"Great! I'll be in the Staff Room. I'll leave it to you." With that, Ms. April left the classroom. Once her footsteps were far away, all the other students gathered around the new kid, Matthew, of course. "Your outfit really is funny looking. Almost like some hero's clothes from some distant past!" the boy with ebony hair exclaimed. "By the way, my name's Jason."

"Hi Jason." Matthew repeated, greeting him.

"My name's Kate." The giggling brunette introduced herself, "and this guy here is my twin brother, Kellyn." The brunet waved to the blond, and he returned it. "So, uh how old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sixteen, going on seventeen in a few months." Replied Matthew. "Um… what about all of you?"

"Kate and I are going to be fifteen next week." Kellyn smiled, nudging his twin lightly and she giggled, yet again. She loves to giggle, Matthew noted to himself mentally.

"I'll be turning fifteen next year." Rhythmi answered softly.

"I'll be sixteen next year, too. And Keith's going to be seventeen next month!" Jason chirped, earning a deadly glare from the aforementioned boy. Matthew chuckled gingerly to himself at the small comedic scene and then smiled at his classmates. They were all friendly, just like his friends back home. He wondered how they were doing now. It had been just a week now since he left.

"Hey, new kid." Keith called to him, and the blond turned to his fellow student, "I forgot your name, but how long did it take you to capture Pikachu? Like an hour?" Keith asked with his silly, cocky grin.

Matthew shook his head and simply replied, "About five minutes… and the name is Matthew." He inwardly thought this guy Keith was more than arrogant. He sounded like the competitive type, something the Adept didn't need so much, but thought a friendly rivalry would be okay to keep up to date and on par with the other Ranger students.

Rhythmi sighed, "Keith's just a show-off. You're better off ignoring him." Keith scowled at this comment, his eyes narrowing at the blonde girl. "Instead, you should be paying attention to me." Matthew hoped she wasn't taking that statement another way. "I'm not here to become a Ranger."

"You're not?" asked the blond haired teen.

"Nope. I want to become an Operator instead. So when Keith becomes a Ranger, I can order him around like my servant!" Keith glared at her, and she just giggled, with the other students mimicking her. "Just kidding!" Rhythmi laughed out, and she and Keith were hiding a light blush which Matthew caught sight off quickly. Did they like each other? "That sounds like fun… And it looks like you two like each other." Matthew added.

"WHAT?" roared both blushing teens, and shocked gasps from the twins and Jason. Rhythmi and Keith were now blushing like mad roses, and took steps backward, their backs facing each other. "There's NO way I'd ever like THAT!" they both exclaimed, hinting at the other with the word 'that'. Matthew, the twins, and Jason all laughed at the comedic scene. To escape the madness, Rhythmi stormed out of the room, still fuming and bellowing a "Let's go, Matthew!" to him. Today was already becoming rather eventful!

* * *

The two ventured to the next classroom, and Rhythmi explained a little of the teacher, Mr. Kincaid, and how strange his hair was. She said that he got his hair like that by using a lot of hair sprays and gel. Matthew silently laughed at this, but felt a strange, ominous presence from Mr. Kincaid. Whatever it was, it didn't seem inviting or friendly for that fact, and he wanted to get out of there. Before the two could exit, they had listened to the male teacher's two important rules: "Don't run in the hallways" and "Don't cast suspicion on others without proof." Matthew could have sworn he had felt bad vibes from the blond haired instructor, but merely ignored them for now. They weren't important, and they'd ruin his day.

The next place they went was the library, which Rhythmi explained was 'Keith's nap room'. "That boy in the back of the library with the mushroom haircut is Isaac. He's really smart." Matthew chuckled to himself upon hearing the name. It was something he had to write to his family and friends about, especially to his same-named father. The staff room was next, where Matthew met the principal, Mr. Lamont Splendidocious. The man's last name was too long and too hard to pronounce that everyone just called him by his first name. Thank goodness.

He was wearing a brown tuxedo, white shirt underneath, black shoes and a yellow tie, much like the student's wore. He had a nice haircut of graying hair, mustache, and a small beard. His eyes were bright brown behind his glasses and he wore a happy, wide grin on his face. He seemed very excited about his school and loved Pokémon—that was evident in his voice. The students saw Ms. April at her desk, typing at her computer. When approached, she told them she was planning their next Outdoor Class. What was that, anyway? By the mentioning of this, Rhythmi grew giddy and brimmed with excitement. Matthew guessed it was some school event that was fun, from looking at her expression.

Upstairs was their next destination, where Janice, the caretaker was sitting at one of the tables, drinking tea. "We bunk here coed style. But not together, of course. The boys' dorm is to my right and us girls' dorm is to my left. Oh, and hi Janice! Have you two been—"

"We've been acquainted." Matthew responded hurriedly, which to his relief, Rhythmi didn't notice. The older woman noticed them and simply waved warmly, her sweet smile to her face as usual. During that moment, he could feel Sol's energy, and was relieved to find the blade still around, and meditating silently to itself in weapon form.

"Oh, okay. That's good," replied Rhythmi, grinning. "Oh, this machine here is very important." The blond haired girl turned her attention to a floating machine near the stairs, and directed Matthew's to it as well. "This is called a Recharger. You can use this to recharge your Styler's battery and line to full battery and strength. The towns and cities you'll come across will have these in Ranger Bases, and an Operator inside will freely charge them up, too."

"I see. I find that rather convenient. But, Rhythmi, I've a question."

"Yes?"

"How is that… machine floating like that?" he was honestly perplexed.

"It's apart of our region's advanced technology. Doesn't where you come from have something like these?"

"Not really… I mean, we do have something similar, but you can say my home country is… old fashioned in a sense."

"'Old fashioned'? Where do you live? I mean, what's your home country called again?"

"Weyard."

Now it was Rhythmi's turn to be confused. Sure, she had heard of it, especially in the classroom, but where in the world did it exist? It seemed so unheard of, like Matthew's hair style and color, and it baffled her to no end. "Weyard? Where is it located?"

"It's south of Almia, quite close to this other region called Sinnoh." Matthew replied.

"Ah, I see. I'd like to hear more about your home country someday, Matthew!" Rhythmi giggled, sending the Adept silently shudder. He pretty much was sure this girl was one of those females that wanted to know what happened, when it happened, where it occurred, and why. She was also known as another Karis, in his point of view. "Um, not that I don't mind sharing, but… the tour? Shouldn't we get back to it?"

"Oh right! Silly me! Let's go back downstairs!"

As they retraced their steps back down the spiral staircase leading back to the ground floor, the school bell had rang. "There goes the bell." The blonde haired girl spoke, soon as they reached the bottom step. "We can go outside now." A few students from each class came out; some bypassing them to head upstairs, Kate and Kellyn headed to the library for some study time, and Keith nowhere to be found. Probably still lounging around in the classroom, Rhythmi assumed. The pair of classmates headed down the long hallway, pushing the double doors open and stepping outside.

* * *

The sun was still gorgeously brimming with hot energy as it flashed brightly in the sky. Rhythmi looked to her right at a rather familiar building. "That's the Training Room…" Matthew spoke up first, recognizing the structure and grinned. "Yup. That's where Mr. Kaplan will teach you about performing captures." Rhythmi added. "And, Mrs. Claire is also there, and she teaches about clearing targets." The blonde turned to her left and Matthew followed her gaze. There were two, large wooden boxes sitting on the ground like nobody's business.

"That big clearing over there with the two large crates is where we practice Target Clears."

"Oh…"

"That reminds me…" Rhythmi paused, facing Matthew, whom had a quizzical expression about his face. "Do you know about clearing targets?"

"Uh, what? …No…" Matthew blinked, clueless.

"Yeah, your expression tells me you don't know." The blonde said. "That's all right, though. That's why we have the Training Room. Let's go there now so that Mrs. Claire can show you!"

"Uh, okay. That doesn't seem like a bad idea."

Across the large, school yard they trekked, and Matthew had time to pay attention to the scenery this time around. He noticed the school was very close to the ocean, taking note of the sounds of the waves in the distance. That, and the S.S. Alchemy pretty much docked around here, too. He couldn't exactly remember where, though. There were orange-red colored lizard creatures with flames on their tails, which were known as Charmander. The brown, plump Pokémon from before were called Bidoof, and there were more, smaller yellow mouse looking creatures called Pichu. Another Pokémon that was flying around in the school yard, a small, blue bird called Taillow. Seeing it, Matthew easily reminded himself of a small swallow bird that appears in his own home, albeit a little smaller than the actual things. _Most of these Pokémon look just like animals with magical properties imbued in them…_ he thought, having taken more onto the subject. He had to learn more about these magical creatures—that could fool some people in Weyard that they were Djinn of different shape—for Kraden's sake and for his own.

"Hehehe… Welcome to the inscrutable Team School's secret hideout." Mr. Kaplan joked in his sinister voice, causing the teens to sigh as well as a lady standing in the room as well. The woman had on the same outfit as Mr. Kaplan, except she donned a blue jean skirt rather than pants. The bottom portion of her hair was curled up like in an open scissors shape. "Yes, yes, we've heard that one before. Let's pay no attention to Mr. Kaplan and his make-believe conspiracy." The teens laughed and the male instructor panicked.

"Oh! Please don't ignore me! I'll be serious and introduce myself!"

"Well, we know you're Mr. Kaplan." Matthew said, finishing his small bout of giggles.

"Correct. I teach the fundamentals of capture." Mr. Kaplan added proudly.

"And, I'm Mrs. Claire. Glad to meet you." The woman took Matthew's hand and shook it. "It's my job to teach you about performing Target Clears." She let go of the boy's hand, and Rhythmi patted his left shoulder. "I know you had to do a capture for your entrance exam but… I think you should learn about capturing properly once more." _Man, she really sounds like Karis…_Matthew thought, deciding it would be the best idea to do so anyway, for his own benefit. "Yeah, it's a start." He said, simpering insouciantly.

"That's an admirable attitude! Okay, I'll give you a special lesson: the fundamentals of capture!" Mr. Kaplan jeered excitedly.

The lessons both instructors gave were fulfilling for the Adept as he absorbed the information and techniques. He learned about capturing—again—and target clearing. He was even allowed to perform a few Target Clears with a Bidoof. Needless to say, smashing crates were a lot of fun. After the instructors finished, the two thanked them and Rhythmi pulled on Matthew's hand excitedly. "Come on! There's another place I want to show you! Let's go to the school yard!" She pulled him through the opened door, smiling until…

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Help, someone! Anyone! Catch the Bidoof for me!" That voice of distress sounded awfully familiar! A bunch of Bidoof ran about the school yard, agitated and away from the caretaker, whom had tried catching them herself, but to no avail. "J-Janice? She's having trouble with the Bidoof!" Rhythmi cried, turning to Matthew. "Please, Matthew! Capture the Bidoof and get them to settle down!" The blond haired teen didn't need to be told twice, as he initiated his School Styler once he heard the cry of "help".

Just as Matthew did so, someone exited the school building, and spoke, "Heh, I was wondering what the ruckus was all about." It was a familiar voice of arrogance, and it reached their ears. "Looks like a good time that's up for grabs!" That voice belonged to none other than "Keith! Don't just stand there! You help with captures, too!" bellowed Rhythmi, almost like a command.

"…She's not even an Operator yet and she's already commanding me around…" the redhead grumbled lowly to himself, which miraculously and unfortunately for him, the blonde had caught wind of that from her distance.

"What was that?" Rhythmi huffed out her question.

"Nothing. I said it won't be much fun if I just help." Then, an idea hatched into his devious little brain. "Hey, new kid! I forgot your name again—" Matthew face palmed at this guy's idiocy, "—but I challenge you! We'll have a capture race, you and me! We'll see who can capture the most Bidoof, all right?" Rhythmi sighed, also face palming.

"Can't you make the effort to learn our classmate's name? You can be so annoying, Keith!" Rhythmi half scolded the auburn. Matthew silently agreed to that comment. He also had this feeling those two argued like a married couple… Keith, on the other hand of the insult she lashed at him, just grinned mischievously.

"You can have your silly race or whatever, but hurry up!"

Keith hid his mischievous grin and laughed lightly. "Okay, let's get on with it!" Matthew wasn't so comfortable about this idea. He had just re-learned how to capture, and he just got here a few hours ago, and here this guy was starting up challenges. He was right when he thought Keith was the competitive type, alongside the pride. "Three! Two! One! START!"

Keith dashed around the yard, chasing after the Bidoof, and Matthew stayed in his spot. He could feel so much movement beneath his feet; it was his affinity to the earth that lightly petrified him on spot. However, he was tracking down the movements of some Bidoof feet with his Psynergy, which Rhythmi didn't see. "Matthew! What are you doing? Aren't you going to help?"

"I am. Stay here." He said, bolting off before she could protest.

"Wait—wow, he's really fast! Like a Doduo! …How does he run that fast, anyway?"

Luckily for Matthew, four agitated Bidoof were scrambling together, all cramped together on the left side of the school house building, in between it and a rocky hill. Perfect. Grinning, and hoping nobody saw, Matthew used his Quake Psynergy to create a low ditch so the creatures couldn't escape. He launched his capture disc, the line illuminating in the golden Psynergy as before—without him powering it—and he successfully captured all four. They didn't show so much sign as being irritable; just frightened. He knelt down next to them, petting their heads.

"What happened?" The Adept asked in Pokélanguage. The beaver-like creatures didn't seem to mind a human was communicating with them, so one responded.

"That human lady Janice startled us. She stepped on our leader's tail, and then our leader rammed into all of us. It scared us half to death and we ran off. We didn't mean to cause such a big mess."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe once all of you are calmed down, Janice will hopefully apologize to you all."

"Yeah!" chirped all the Bidoofs. "Let's go see her, now!" Grinning at the accomplishment, Matthew and the four Bidoof walked out of the closure like nothing happened at all. But, the teen forgot about the ditch… Naturally, after performing attack Psynergy, the Adept should always "clean up" where they used the power, otherwise, it could be bad news to anti-Adepts and animals alike. It was like an important rule Garet would drill into his son's and Matthew's heads when they were thirteen. Apparently, Matthew was too occupied with his success to worry about the ditch…

* * *

"That's all the Bidoof." Rhythmi said, seeing both Keith and Matthew lining up the brown, plump Pokémon on opposite sides.

"I caught five!" Keith boasted. "That means you caught… Uh… four. That means… Victory is mine!" The auburn teen tossed his Styler mid-air, back-flipped while catching his Styler and posed. What a flamboyant guy, but Matthew couldn't help but smile. Keith was pretty much the best at capturing in this school; the Adept had done his absolute best, plus he had a small chat with the creatures beforehand.

"You and Keith looked good at it, too!" Janice said, only having noticed that Matthew had chased after the Bidoof behind the building, and didn't see what happened next. But, he did come back with four of the Pokémon trotting behind him happily, so she assumed he did a good job, and praised him for helping anyway. "Of course, I must thank your new friend and Rhythmi, too. Thank you all for this. It's a big relief for me."

"You're welcome." The three teens replied, smiling.

"And to the leader Bidoof… I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to tread on your tail. I'll make it up to you with tastier treats than usual." Janice apologized, as Matthew hoped, with sincerity. "Come along, everyone!" The Bidoof cheered gleefully as they followed the caretaker down the stairs of the Ranger School. When they were gone, Keith stepped up to Matthew. "Hmm, I'd rate your captures around sixty-five out of a hundred." He smiled. "…Hey, but you know… I'll be honest. I was pretty surprised by how you did. You might be decent for someone who just learned about this."

The blond returned the smile, "Thanks," he replied simply.

"No problem. You said your name is Matthew, right?"

"Yes, it is."

Rhythmi pouted. "Oh, you, Keith! You knew his name all along!" her hands went to her hips, a low sigh escaping her mouth. "For goodness' sake…" She shook her head, letting her arms down a moment. It wasn't a moment later, something popped into her memory; she remembered something and had almost forgotten! "Oh! That's right! There's somewhere I haven't shown you yet, Matthew!" The auburn haired boy turned to Rhythmi, looking as if he already knew what she was going to say.

"You mean Ascension Square?"

"Yes!"

"Then I'll go, too."

The blonde sighed, then allowed a sneaky, blushing grin to crawl upon her face. "Oh, all right. I guess we'll let you come with us." Matthew took a glance at Keith, who was looking away, also blushing. These two were either secretly engaged and they didn't know it or what. _They really like each other… but are denying it._ He thought.

"C-Come on, I'll show you!" Rhythmi led the way back down a familiar set of stairs that Matthew recognized when he first arrived. Keith stayed behind them all the way there; his thoughts were elsewhere until they were at their destination. "This is Ascension Square." Rhythmi began as they left the stairway. "Next month, there's going to be a special class here. It's called the Outdoor Class."

"Oh, Ms. April said something like that, didn't she?" Matthew wondered, remembering what the instructor said when in the Staff Room earlier.

"That's right. Anyway, that large monument there is called the Pledge Stone." The trio walked over to aforementioned stone carving, stopping in front of it as she continued, "If you make a firm pledge to each other with your friends here, it will surely come true… That's what Principal Lamont told me.

"And there you have it! That concludes Rhythmi's School Tour of Wonder and Excitement!" She smiled warmly, just like the sun, which beamed upon her youthful face. The more Keith stared the more he blushed, and feelings he didn't want reacting now were bubbling up. He quickly shook the thoughts and emotion away. "Matthew! I'm glad to have met you! I hope we can be friends for a long time!"

"Hey, hold it, now!" Keith half interrupted. "Don't worry about Rhythmi. Be friends with me, okay?"

"I'll be friends with both of you. I don't mind sharing." Matthew chuckled, responding lightly.

The loud school bell rang once more, stopping the young teens in their conversation. "Oh, there goes the bell, again. We'd better get back to class." Said Rhythmi, almost in a sad tone; she stole a glance at Keith, who looked back to her, trying hard to hide his feelings. "But boy, oh boy, Keith… Aren't you the slick one!"

"Slick? How so?" the auburn wondered.

"You know exactly what I mean!" the girl answered, laughing. "Anyway, we should go now. We don't want to get in trouble." The three, new friends agreed that being late and getting into trouble—especially Matthew on his first day—would be a disaster. With Keith still baffled by Rhythmi's claim, the other two laughed as they made their way back to the school building.


	3. Paired up with Keith at night

The first day of school was coming close to an end. When the clocks hit six thirty pm, all the students were told to come in and head upstairs for dinner. The meal was surprisingly a pizza party to welcome the new transfer student, Matthew's, arrival. Principal Lamont had ordered fifteen boxes of freshly baked pizza, all with different, possible flavors. There was a supreme topping pizza in which Rhythmi explained if anyone touched that one, Mr. Lamont would get into trouble. The hearty principal laughed and the others joined him at the comment.

Once the little celebration party was over, it was eight fourty-three—time for the students to shower and get into bed. The pupils filed into their respective dorm rooms, chattering about the hot topics of the school and the region.

-x-x-x-

**_The Girl's Dorm_**

-x-x-x-

"That new kid was cute! His eyes are the sweetest shade of blue I ever seen!" one girl giggled, having black hair.

"His hair is odd, though. I wonder how get got it that way? Hopefully he doesn't use hair sprays like Mr. Kincaid." Another girl with light auburn hair chatted next.

"Eww! That would be weird!" said the ebony haired female.

"His attire was sexy. Did anyone notice his outfit?" was Kate's voice.

"Hee-hee! I did! Who couldn't? He stood out like a sore thumb—in a handsome way!" squealed the redhead.

"Aaah… and his delicate smile. It's so dreamy. I wish he was my boyfriend. He must have a six-pack under all that—" Kate began.

"You girls, chill out." Rhythmi intercepted, having heard enough gossiping about Matthew to last her a week. The chatting girls, who were sitting on a bed at the left hand side looked towards the blonde as she approached them. "If you're so curious about him, just go ask him tomorrow morning. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." The three stared at the blonde, grinning.

"Oh, Rhythmi! We were told by Kate that you were asked to give him a tour around the school. Did you… you know…"

"Wh-what? No!" her face flashed a deep shade of red at such the absurd comment. "A-all I did was show him around!" The girls giggled with the mischievous thoughts still lingering about. Fuming again for the second time of the day, Rhythmi stormed away from them to her assigned bed on the right hand side of the large room. She had the bottom bunk, whereas her classmate, Kate, had the top. Aforementioned student trotted over to the embarrassed blonde, tapping her shoulder.

"Hey, Rhi. I know you haven't fallen for the new boy."

"Oh, thanks Kate…" Rhythmi sat down, calming herself and sighed.

"I think it would be fair if you were attracted to Keith. You two fight like a married couple. Ha-ha-ha!" Theblonde girl's face burned an even deeper red shade this time; of course they bickered afterwards, with Rhythmi denying. Keith was an idiot and an annoying one at that. But, this was the second time of this day she received that 'comment', if it could be called one. "Reason I said this… is because Matthew told me. He was right, too!"

"…Ugh, Matthew… I'm going to kill him for this."

-x-x-x-

**_In the Boys' Dorm_**

-x-x-x-

Matthew sneezed. He had a feeling someone was talking about him. "_Someone's talking about you._" he heard Sol Blade's confirmation through his Psynergy.

"Well, thanks…" the Earth Adept replied, continuing to write on a piece of paper. Sol casted an illusionary duplicate of itself in human form, peering over its master's shoulders. "_What exactly are you writing? A letter to the family?_"

"Yeah. It's been like six days since I left home. I want them to know I'm doing all right and such."

"_Hmm… Good point._"

"Matthew…" The blond looked up at the calling of his name and found Keith approaching him to his bedside, and peering over his shoulder, too. Could he not get any privacy? The auburn haired boy had a clipboard, pen, paper and a quizzical expression on his face, as did Matthew when he answered, "Yes, Keith?"

"I heard you were talking, but nobody seems to be there. I heard a voice from over here but…oh well." Keith simply shrugged his shoulders as he carried on, "Anyway, I just wanted to ask you something. Are you the kind of guy who writes letters?" Matthew curtly nodded, glancing down to his unfinished letter. "Yeah. I'm writing one now, really."

"You are? Me too. I'm writing to me parents about you, actually." Matthew's expression lit up in confusion and surprise when his classmate spoke of this. Maybe this is why he was sneezing? No, it couldn't have been. Then again, maybe it was… "…Seriously?"

"Yeah. They like hearing about new friends I make at school."

"You're considering me your friend, now?"

Sol remained there, snickering a little at the scene before disappearing. Unfortunately, Keith heard the blade's small laughter. "…Someone's laughing… but who?" Matthew frowned. Keith had noticed Sol's reactions twice already. It's unusual for a mere human to hear articrafts of Psynergetic abilities let alone see the power. Could he be? "Oh well, whatever that was. Anyway, Matthew, of course I consider you my friend. I wouldn't want to pass up on this opportunity, heh-heh." Matthew smiled warmly, but couldn't get over the fact Keith possibly heard his weapon. He knew the boy was sincere with his words; his feet never lie. "So um who are you writing to?"

"My family and friends back home. I've been gone almost a week now."

"Really? You must have came by ship."

"I did. The S.S. Alchemy."

Keith paused in silence, gawking wide-eyed. "You were on that ship? That one got attacked by strange monsters on the way here. Were… you scared?" Matthew simply shook his head in response, being the honest guy he was. "Not, not at all."

"…Wow. I would have been scared for my life, to be honest. You must have been brave, Matthew. Must be because of that weird swordsman with strange powers that was on board." Uh-oh. Matthew flinched; these people were fast with getting news out. "The news and newspaper said he used a giant, glowing sword, and a Pokémon Ranger named Solana witnessed the guy summoned a huge meteor down! But, the amazing thing was, the ship was totally unscathed by it. The monsters were decimated and wiped out instantly."

"Oh, that? That was one of the cool parts." Jason added, who was overhearing the conversation. He was followed by another boy, Adam, a boy who was in Kincaid's class, and Kellyn. "The best part is the guy saved a Ranger's life! They don't know how he revitalized the Ranger when he rescued him and his Pokémon from drowning. But, according to the Ranger Solana, she said the guy used some strange, golden energy and touched the dying Ranger and he sprung him back to life! Talk about wicked awesome!"

Sol mentally looked to Matthew with an annoyed look. It really hated gossip, especially if boys were doing it. Females and gossip were okay together, but not males. Another boy in the room with a flower haircut and green hair and one more following behind him with tan hair, also indulged themselves in this springing conversation. "Did the witnesses get a good look at him?" asked the green haired boy, also known as Ponte.

Kellyn grinned as he popped in first. "Yeah. The female Ranger along with some of the sailor crew were there, and she had saw the whole thing. They all did for that fact. They said the guy had on a **dark red shirt, a blue jacket, dark blue slacks, brown boots and gloves.** And… uh… she described his eyes were **the softest shade of blue** she had ever seen. Not only that, he had a yellow scarf draped around his neck and spiky blond hair, the **oddest color of blond** she had ever seen, too—"

"A…A_CHOO!_" Matthew sneezed yet again. He was literally being surrounded by a possible fan club. He noticed the others were staring at him. "Sorry…" the Earth Adept apologized. "Allergies. They'll go away." Hopefully his lie would work, and fortunately it did to his relief.

"Oh… say Matt. Now that I think about it, you were wearing something like that, today." Keith spoke up, making said boy jump in his place. "Wh-what do you mean, Keith?" Matthew was getting clammy palms and various stares from his fellow dorm-mates.

"Well, today you had on just about the same clothes as that sword guy. And, your hair's even…spiky kinda." Thankfully, Matthew had showered early and was dressed in simple dark brown slacks, a light, long sleeved white shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, and a tan colored bed tunic. His regular attire, he was grateful he packed away so not many recognized him easily as Keith did.

"Don't be silly, Keith. Maybe Matthew likes that guy a lot and wanted to cosplay?" Adam slid in, unintentionally saving the Adept's skin.

"Oh… I didn't think about that. Sorry, Matt."

"It's okay. That swordsman guy… he came from my homeland, so everyone's familiar with him. He's really amazing, so much I… dyed my hair this color." His lie was working like a charm, despite he just made it up as he went along. "Awesome! What color did it use to be?" asked Jason.

"Red, like Keith's, but a little lighter."

"Sweet." said aforementioned teen. "Anyway, Matt, you aren't sleepy yet, are you?"

"No, how come?"

"No reason. Come with us. And by us, I mean me and Kellyn."

Shrugging, Matthew swung his legs over his bed, the other boys dissembled from around his bedside to mingle with one another and to get ready for bed. He sat his things down on his bed, and followed both Keith and Kellyn out of their dorm. When they exited, Rhythmi and Kate were there, sitting down at the tables. What's going on? A secret meeting? The starting of a cult?

"All right, I brought him." Keith said, approaching the girls with Kellyn.

"And, he looks utterly baffled." Kellyn added, smirking.

"Everything's ready." Rhythmi grinned, standing up. Matthew stared at them, dumbfounded. Did he just stumble into some prank without knowing it? "Huh?" he wondered, but the blonde ignored—or rather didn't hear—his confused utter as she turned to the twins and Keith. "Okay, let's get started with our test of courage to welcome Matthew."

"Keep it down, but yay!" the four pranksters whispered loudly in excitement. What in the world was going on?

"…What's this about?" Matthew asked, still addled by the commotion his classmates seemed to have hatched.

"We just want you to prove you're brave. I had to do it before, too. It's no big deal." The auburn explained partially. "You… kind of have that easily spooked look to you, no offense."

"Well, not really. I'm only scared of what all of you are plotting against me right now."

Kate giggled. "It's nothing serious. It's really fun!" she chirped quietly, and her brother agreed. Rhythmi faced Matthew, still having that sneaky grin on her features. "Okay, the rules are simple. The four of us have hidden our Stylers in four different places in the school. They are: Ms. April's class, Mr. Kincaid's class, the Staff Room and the Library. Gather all four Stylers and then put them in front of the door to the basement room." She explained.

"…um okay, sounds simple."

"Yeah. It's not hard or anything, but it's also not safe to go alone. That's why we've always had this one rule: the student seated next to the initiate has to go, too." Keith's slightly amused face fell to a frown and paled.

"Gweh! You mean me…"

The twins giggled in unison as Rhythmi joined in their bout of laughter. Not too loudly, of course. "Okay, you two. Off you go." She urged. Keith groaned and Matthew sighed lightly. This was another thing he would include in his letter.

"W-well… let's go." Keith visibly stuttered as they headed downstairs into the darkness of the school floors.

-x-x-x-

"Hey… are scared?" Keith asked, whispering. They had already gone down the stairs—which were dark on the way—and Keith was being awfully, well, let's just say, close to Matthew. Was he…afraid?

"No." was Matthew's bold reply.

They barely took a step down and something down the hall moved! "WAAAAAAAH!" Keith bellowed, taking steps back, clearly terrified.

"Keith… calm down…"

"…Wah! Th-there's something there!"

"I'm pretty sure it's nothing." Matthew peered down the hallway, grasping the image of a familiar brown, plump Pokémon. "It's just a Bidoof." Keith stopped panicking, sighing in deep relief. "…Oh, it's just a Bidoof… It just startled me." He said lightly. "But, wow, that sure spooked me. You… You were spooked, too, right?"

Again, Matthew shook his head. "No. Sorry if you were expecting me to be." Compared to the Grave Eclipse, this school's spookiness didn't even compare. It was nothing, and it would take more than some sneaky Pokémon to scare this Adept. "That Bidoof's here for a reason, I can tell." Matthew approached the creature, using his own Styler to easily capture the Pokémon—as it didn't know he was even there, making it even easier—and pressed forward to their classroom.

-x-x-x-

**_Ms. April's Class_**

-x-x-x-

As they entered the classroom, Matthew took notice of Target Clear crates like the ones from outside. He wondered how they got them inside without being seen, or having trouble. Perhaps the crates were lightweight. "Even our classroom's kind of creepy at night…" Keith mumbled, still quite scared. "Hey, I'll give you a hint, even; What wasn't here during the daytime? That's what it is."

"All these crates weren't here, that's for sure." Matthew replied, though more to himself. The Styler could be anywhere, even underneath or inside something. It would be a waste to smash all these boxes to bits, he thought, looking over the room. But something nagged him that the crates were the obvious thing here, and needed to be broken. He knelt down on the ground, one knee to floor, and outstretched a hand upon the wooden floor. Keith noticed this and eyed his friend quizzically. "Yeah, uh, what are you doing?"

With as little pressure as possible, he pressed down on the floor, causing a little shockwave, destroying the nearby three crates. Fortunately for him, Keith didn't see what happened, as he was utterly confused by the small, sudden 'quake'. "Did you feel that, Matt? Almost like an earthquake."

"…I did. Creepy…"

Bidoof stared at Matthew, knowing exactly what happened. "_I saw what you did… You're… no ordinary human, are you?_" The Adept flinched slightly as he rose to his feet, walking towards the remaining crate bythe podium. Keith and the Bidoof followed him, however the Pokémon still eyed him carefully. "_You didn't answer my question. I know you can understand me. My friends and I were there when you helped us earlier today—_"

"I refuse to answer entirely right now." Matthew responded quite loudly, directing his capture line to the crate. "Just crush this." Pouting in disappointment, Bidoof did as commanded and then left; there inside the broken remains was a Styler! Score! The Adept picked it up and pocketed it, turning to leave the classroom in silence. Unfortunately, Keith, being baffled by his classmate's sudden blurting, questioned him. "Matthew, what were you talking about?"

"…nothing important." He answered bluntly. "The next Styler's in Kincaid's class, right?"

"Yeah… but—!"

"Then, let's go. Don't worry about it."

Reluctant to let the topic go just like that, Keith did anyway, but promised himself to bring it back up once this whole situation was over with. They left the classroom, and trekked along the hall to their next destination.

-x-x-x-

**_Mr. Kincaid's Class_**

-x-x-x-

"This is the classroom next to ours… Hurry up and find that Styler."

Matthew glanced around the room, recognizing two more Bidoof, a Pichu, and now, two blue, eyeless bats. He pointed his Styler's indicator at them, identifying them as 'Zubat'. Matthew decided it would be a good idea to capture the Pichu, just in case his Styler needed recharging. He learned that most Electric Types in Almia used 'Field Moves', which were like Target Clears that benefitted the Rangers, such as Pichu's Recharge technique. Unfortunately, Pichu kept running from him, screaming 'Ground Type!' in Pokélanguage. The blue, eyeless bat Pokémon were conversing with another while Matthew engaged the mouse in a capture, as well as a nearby Bidoof.

"_Hey… do you feel that? One of those human kids have such a strong aura._"

"_Yeah. It definitely feels like a strong ground type. 'Course, it can't hurt us, but it still feels weird and intimidating. Didn't think any of these humans could have such a vibe…_"

"_Same here, bro._"

"_What do you think we should do? Warn the others about a freak child having a freaky aura?_"

"_That'd be a splendid idea, bro. That way, they can avoid him and avoid being captured. No wonder the electric types were finicky earlier today. It was because of that weird kid—_"

_"…Are you two done talking about me?_"

The new voice butted in, sounding similar to the little Pichu, but with an icy tone attached. However it wasn't the Pokémon—it was one of the kids, speaking to them! "_Wh-what the? The kid can even understand us!?_" bellowed one of the Zubat. Matthew half chuckled then frowned, preparing his Styler. "_I would be lying if I said I didn't. So… you two know I'm here for you. I can tell you're afraid of my heavy aura. It's natural…_"

"_Blast! Not only can the human understand us, he is talking our universal language!_" raged one of the Zubat. Matthew grinned inwardly at the obvious stated.

"_That's correct. Like I said, it's natural._"

"_Bah! 'Natural'?! You call your aura 'natural'? It's hardly qualified to be NORMAL for any human being to exist!_" the other bat flared darkly. "_What kind of person are you!?_" Matthew whirled his capture disc around one of the startled bats, and simply replied, "_You'll just have to see for yourself…" _In no time flat, he successfully captured the Zubat, who groaned in defiance. The Pichu squarely slapped the bat in anger, huffing out 'I told you there was a ground type!'. Once that little scene was over with, Keith, whom had stayed in one spot the entire time, eyes wide like dinner plates, staring blankly at what just happened. To his ears, all he heard come from Matthew's mouth was 'pi pi pichu pi' then made some sounds close sounding to the Zubats and then the bats had hissed in their response. Was an argument going on? And when did Matthew learn to understand Pokémon?!

"…Matt… were you talking to… those Pokémon?" he asked the obvious, still addled. The blond had found thesecond Styler on the shelf in the classroom; he stowed it in his pocket as well, then walked back over to Keith, silently.

"… …Yes." Aforementioned teen replied flatly, turning to see that Keith was staring at him in utter shock and disbelief. "…don't ask how. I just do. What's the next room?" He needed to change the subject before Keith assaulted him with a dozen questions he wouldn't be able to answer all at once. The auburn teen snapped out of his daze and spoke, "the Staff Room."

"All right. Just two more to go and then we'll be done of this 'game'." replied Matthew. "Let's go." Keith followed his blond haired classmate out of Kincaid's classroom, back out in the spooky, nearly haunted hallway where they first saw a Bidoof. Up the large spaced hall they trekked, and turned right into another long hallway to a single door to the left.

-x-x-x-

**_The Staff Room_**

-x-x-x-

"This is the Staff Room…" said Keith, who paused a moment. "And the hint for this room is… The Styler we hid here doesn't stay still. You understand, don't you?"

Matthew blinked, utterly confused. "It doesn't?"

"_AH! Ground type!_" That was a shriek of another Pichu. The tiny mouse Pokémon were usually timid, but apparently around Matthew's presence and strong aura, they were terrified. "Ugh, not again…" groaned the Adept, who readied his Styler. He wasn't going to let this bug him. With his Styler in hand, he chased after the Pichu, easily catching up to it, and engaged it in a capture.

"_Help!_" the Pichu cried, running about as Matthew steered the capture disc around the creature, his capture line still infused with his golden Psynergy. Strange though; he still didn't use his power to enchant the line at all. The only time he did so was hours in the morning when he captured Pikachu to pass the entrance exam. Why did the device still use his Psynergy? Maybe it was a permanent effect. Pichu charged up its sparking electrical powers and zapped the capture line forming around it. Keith cringed, knowing that attack usually cost the line's damage. However, the static bolts just bounced right off the transparent line.

Keith's eyes widened in shock, nearly saying 'What the!', and he took notice that there was a faint light grapping the capture line. What in the world was that? Is that even normal, he wondered. He remembered his own capture line was a light green color. So, why was Matthew's a different color? That was definitely odd. After the last loop, the blond haired teen successfully bonded his friendship with the second Pichu. "Hm, what's this?" Matthew took a Styler from the Pichu's grasp before letting it go. "…Clever…"

"Heh, yeah. I purposely gave that Pichu that one."

"I see. …So, the last Styler must be in the Library." Keith nodded to his friend's assumption and followed him out. This night was full of strange things; first Matthew was talking to Pokémon now his Styler's line shined in a faint, light color. Not only that, but Pichu's attacks did nothing to damage it. He wondered if this was just a bad dream he would surely wake up from. Hopefully soon. The pair exited the Staff room, slowly walking down the creepily dark hallway yet again, traveling westbound. It seemed every step they took, the wooden floor beneath them creaked. Following behind them were the three Friend Pokémon of Matthew's; the Bidoof, Zubat and Pichu he captured from Kincaid's room. In a minute or more, they finally arrived at their second to last destination.

-x-x-x-

**_The Library_**

-x-x-x-

"…Even the library's scary at night, too…" stuttered Keith as he frowned upon entering through the door. "It's as if someone's lurking here…"

"I thought this was aka your 'nap room'?" smirked Matthew, jokingly.

"Pish! Not at night time, it isn't. Just get on with finding that Styler. I want to get going."

"You're not scared, are you?"

"O-of course not!" huffed the auburn.

Matthew stifled a snicker under his breath, knowing full well his classmate was beyond terrified. He examined the Library, and was amazed that four more crates were blocking his way to the Styler that sat on the farthest left desk in the open. He also noticed another roaming Bidoof in here as well; the crates needed to be smashed. The teen directed his previously captured Bidoof to one of the crates in front of him, it using its Crush technique to shatter the box to pieces and allowing access for its temporary partner. Matthew headed past the new opening and engaged the whimsically ignorant Bidoof who didn't see him coming, capturing it successfully.

_This whole looping thing is getting easier by every capture. I hope I can do it faster as I get more experienced._ he thought silently to himself, smirking. He directed his second Bidoof to smash another blockading crate to gain way to the shining green object under the moonlight; the last Styler! "About time." He muttered.

"Good, good. That's all of them, then. Let's take them down to the basement." urged Keith, who was eager to get this over with.

"Yeah, yeah. The sooner this is over with the better…"

-x-x-x-

**_The Basement_**

-x-x-x-

They exited the Library—Keith still thinking that someone was watching them—and stopped. Matthew instinctively recaptured the nearby, protesting Bidoof again, and then headed down to the basement stairs. When they arrived on the ground floor, more crates blocked their way, and it was extremely darker down here than upstairs in the school. It was probably because the school house on the upper floors had windows to allow the moonlight in whereas the basement didn't. However, low watts of light dimly lit up the place. It was then, something caught Keith's attention. "Huh? I never heard or seen a target like that."

"What target?"

"Those… wooden fence things…" Keith pointed out from the distance. Matthew followed his directed index finger and saw the fences too. That was strange. They seemed to have been put up recently, thought Matthew, having examined his friend's perplexed features; he could tell Keith and the others weren't expecting this sort of thing. "…Well, if it's wood, then it looks like something sharp, like wind, could cut it down." Matthew said, having examined the fence and noticed that the technique Cut was needed to dismantle this Target. "Hmm… I think I know how. Watch this."

The teen directed the Zubat he befriended about more than half an hour ago to the wooden fence. The bat creature whipped its tiny wings wildly, slashing the fence with slashes of air, decimating the fence into fragments of bark. Satisfied, the Zubat flew away, and Matthew smiled. "See? Very simple." He said, almost educationally.

"How'd you know?"

"It was kind of a lucky guess… and I figured that with Zubat being here, and seeing it is partial Flying type, it would make sense…" Matthew grinned lopsidedly, "though, I was worried it wouldn't work…"

"Well, I'm glad it did."

"Me too. We should get going. The basement door shouldn't be far from here."

"Y-yeah."

As the boys continued down the dark, dank hall, they bypassed several opened boxes, scattered and stacked books here and there, and still, the darkness persisted. They were careful not to trip over the stacks of objects, which Matthew almost did, but Keith quickly pulled him back up before he stumbled to the ground and made noise. He was glad he had fast reflexes. They peeked around the only corner and spotted a door on the right hand side. The small window was lighted, meaning someone was in there, Matthew had noticed, but the auburn didn't. Only one thing that remained; that was the basement door. "Whew, there it is, Matt. Let's go—"

A disrupting cry that came from nowhere made the boys freeze in place, half startling them. What was that noise? "H-hey Matthew… Did you hear anything? Like, weird noises?"

"I did… Wonder what that was?" Slowly the boys crept closer to the eerie door, taking note of more boxes and books, and an old, rusting cabinet shelf nearby. "Plunk down the Stylers here, then we can go back tothe dorms, and we're done." Keith instructed hurriedly. "But, hustle, okay? I can't take much more of this…" Just as Keith finished, those ghostly, haunting noises spluttered yet again, causing the auburn to tense. "Ssshh… I do hear something funny—"

He and Matthew glanced in all directions, hoping to find the source before it found them. Unfortunately, the latter happened. Out of nowhere, four ghostly balls of purple-, gaseous flames with menacing eyes popped up! "BWAAAAAH!" Keith cried, stumbling backwards and colliding with the boxes and books behind him, getting his rear stuck into one of the boxes. The ghost-types dashed around Matthew, laughing uncontrollably. There were four of them, ironically like the Bidoof earlier in the day. But they weren't grounded, and reminded him of the shadows of the Grave Eclipse, only sphere-shaped. _There's four of them… but they're floating… and I can't let Keith know what I can do._ Matthew clenched his teeth tight. How would he capture these phantoms?

All of them, known as Gastly, danced around the Adept, sticking their tongues menacingly at him. "(Hah hah! This one looks like fun!)" one said, still giggling.

"_Fun? He's not even scared of us! Just look at his face! Too much determination! I don't like how those blue eyes are staring at me!_"

"_That's no fun at all! Hmph!_"

"_I know! Let's go have fun with that redhead instead! He's about ready to wet his pants! Just wait until he sees us!_" chirped the third one.

"_Kah-hah-hah! Yeah, let's get him!_" The phantom spheres vanished after agreeing on their unfortunate target, unaware that Matthew could understand them. Their ear splattering, malicious and eerie cackles surrounded Keith! "Aaah! G-ghosts! Gastly!" cried the auburn teen. He wildly waved his hands in the air to ward the apparitions away, but to no avail.

"Keith!"

"Help!"

"_Wah-hah-hah! This is even better!_"

"_You said it! Gyah-hah-hah!_"

"Leave him alone!" Matthew hissed, allowing his golden Psynergy to cloak his body, and then traveled to his hands, hair and into the capture line, emblazing it with more energy than before. He would treat the device like his sword; he was allowing his emotions of protecting his friends to flood his thoughts and activate his power of light. He quickly launched the capture disc, which was cloaked in a dazzling, warm yellow light as well, and the Adept steered the disc around the befuddled Pokémon rapidly before they even had a chance to retaliate! With the ghosts captured and set free, Matthew helped Keith up, who was staring at him in absolute awe. The aura around the blond was extremely bright, comforting, and it lit more than half the entire basement up. His eyes were still their charming shade of blue, but kept on a firm glance.

The amazing thing is, Keith could see this and his body was acting strange around it. Why was that? "…M-Matt?"

"Don't move!" he ordered sharply. Keith remained where he was, with his classmate standing before him defensively. Another cackling voice echoed throughout the basement, scaring the auburn more. Another Gastly? "W-what… is that this time…?" the redhead whispered, choking on the words he spoke.

"…A Nightmare. A demon succubus… they love to prey on young boys lost in dark places, and that are afraid."

Keith absorbed the information, and suddenly knew why. _He_ was the lost young boy in a dark place, and afraid. How he hated himself for matching that description perfectly. "…Ugh… doesn't that beat all?" he groaned inwardly. Just before them, a thing had materialized into a tall woman with long, cherry red hair, draconic, violet and black horns, lavender skin, wearing a revealing black outfit and long, black boots. Her eyes were a dull golden color, with slits for pupils that were daring and serpentine. Her lips glossed with black lipstick and her long, evil tail curved around her body as she remained afloat. Somehow. Keith stared at her, captivated with her beauty. "…She's…beautiful…"

"But deadly. Don't look!" Matthew raised his left hand, casting the balm essence of his Restore Psynergy on Keith to snap his friend out of his lustful trance. He figured the boy already saw his aura of Psynergy, so it didn't matter if he used it or not. He turned his attention to the Nightmare. "This will be over, quick." The she-devil laughed sardonically as she dove for the Adept who caught her horns and kicked her away. He grabbed Keith's arm and pushed the auburn behind him, still acting in defense. "You're lovely, evening snack isn't for sale." He spat icily.

The witch hissed venomously and her horns began crackling with light purple electricity. This was known as Shine Plasma, however to Keith, this was known as another attack. "Woah! It's a Thunderbolt attack! Matt, look out!" the boy warned. The blond lifted his hands to create an earthen, transparent barrier to shield them both from the Wind Psynergy attack. The lightning bounced off like a beach ball to a wall. Furious, the Nightmare lashed out her hair like twin blades, intent to kill. Matthew saw it coming and instinctively pushed his classmate out of the way and rolled to the opposite side, avoiding the hit.

"Stupid Adept! Give me the boy!" the Nightmare roared angrily.

"Not a chance!" spat Matthew, who moved immediately to shield Keith again. "You're not laying a hand on him, fiend. You'll have to get through me first, and we both know that's impossible." Growling in fury and irritation, the demon woman twirled her hands in the air.

"While I may not stand a chance against you, your little friend won't! If I can't have him, nobody can! TAKE THIS!" The vicious succubus launched a deadlier thunderbolt-like attack, this time it was a large, static ball of lightning that would consume them both before striking them with the initial attack. Spark Plasma. This was more or less aimed at Keith, but it would also hit Matthew in the process. Either way, the blond couldn't allow his friend to be hurt!

"Keith!"

The auburn teen just stood there, gaping in fear, his eyes widened and his body paralyzed on the spot. His legs and feet wouldn't obey his urge to move. His heart was beating fast. _I… I can't move… I'm dead. This is…how it'll end for me? No…! I still have to become a Ranger. I still have my dream! I can't let it end. I have to be…strong!_ "NO!" Keith bellowed, shutting his eyes, warm, abrupt tears streaming down his face in the panic. A force of gale energy whipped up around him, and his body was cloaked in this. Raging fire clashed with the electrical attack by the force of its commander, Keith. The teen opened his eyes to find he wasn't hit by the attack—standing in front of him was Matthew, who stood in front of him. Shielding him again from the brunt of the attack. "…Keith… Somehow… you countered the attack with… your own Psynergy… But. Don't let go of your dreams." He had no idea why he said that for, but maybe he wanted to urge the other boy. Some how, some way.

Matthew was sizzling in smoke, as his clothes were charred on both ends. He was trembling lightly, due to the amount of Psynergy he took from them. His cobalt eyes narrowed disgustingly at the Nightmare, who was stunned by the auburn's survival. Matthew raised a hand to her. The surrounding area became a chilling, azure shade, blinding the inside area. The Nightmare was paralyzed on spot as a golden white circlet of flames encircled her. A large energy sword struck at her from the right! Another from the left! Diagonally, forming that of an 'X' shape! And, then a sword struck from underneath!

Matthew leapt lightly in the air, his hands gripped around as if holding something and…

"WHO'S THERE?!" the basement door swung open wildly, a male teacher—Mr. Kincaid—stepping out, fuming but immediately when his scientific goggles caught onto abnormal energy and gawked.

…a gigantic, monstrous, glowing blade of that same white energy crashed down in sync with Matthew, slamming into the Nightmare, crushing her. She was felled, with a hiss of a cry that screamed 'bloody murder!'. The Adept was still alight when he turned to face Keith, who was not only gaping at him, but pointed behind him. "AH!" was all he uttered.

"What—?" Matthew followed Keith's pointing and went bug-eyed. "—ack!" He was caught using his Psynergy! Mr. Kincaid stood there, mouth agape, but quickly regained his composure and was once again fuming. "The basement is off-limits to everyone but myself!" He raged angrily. The boys stumbled over boxes, scrambling about frantically as Kincaid kept hurdling insults at them to get out. Matthew tripped over his own feet, scraping his knee in the process as they scurried off. "Shoot! R-Run for it!" They darted off in mad panic before Mr. Kincaid could grab them.

"AND STAY OUT!" the teacher boomed irritably, scaring the daylight out of the fleeing boys. Matthew had to admit, seeing the creepy teacher in the middle of the night was just as scary as fighting Blados.

-x-x-x-

"Is something the matter, sir? What was all that noise?" a blond haired boy, with a mushroom haircut and blue eyes—Isaac—asked, turning from a machine he was currently tampering with. The once fuming instructor stepped inside, closing the door and calmed himself down. He mastered the arts of remaining cool and collected even after observing something radical as what he had witnessed. "…It's nothing. Just a bunch of Zubat and Gastly fighting amongst themselves and causing a lot of disturbance in the hallway."

"Oh, all right."

"Incidentally… Was that experiment a success? Or a failure?"

"It's impossible to say yet. The control systems aren't complete. But, it's only a matter of adjustment now."

Kincaid grinned slowly. "Isaac. I'm counting on you to succeed." The youth nodded his head as his response, trying to brush aside his weariness of the drawn out night and work. Kincaid took note of this and said, "…Having said that, it is late. Let's call it a night on our research. Insufficient sleep should be avoided." Isaac sheepishly approved, unable to contain his sleepy yawn. "I'll return to my dorm, then. Good night, Mr. Kincaid!" he lightly chirped. The teacher simply nodded, allowing his student to leave the research room—which was a huge mess of turned on computers, papers scattered everywhere and used coffee cups. When the young boy was long gone, Kincaid browsed over to the recent newspaper. It had the title: Young boy with strange powers saves ship!. His eyes focused on the youth's image, then to his recent memory of what he saw.

"…there's no mistaking it… That boy… is here." He stood tall, rubbing his chin and grinning deviously. "A child with abnormal powers… Able to command some form of magic and revive the dead. Such a wondrous ability… it's almost too perfect." He sipped a cup of fresh coffee he had made earlier, sat in his computer chair and began typing at his computer. He was in the school's directory of students, clicking on the file labeled 'New Students'. There were several files, but one in particular was labeled 'Transfer Students' caught his attention.

Fortunately for him, there was only one file in that folder, and it was named 'Weyard – Matthew'. Curious, Kincaid clicked into the folder. Three document files popped up after the double-clicking. Eager to find out more, he clicked into one of the files that was labeled 'TOP SECRET – Matthew'. However, he got an Access Denied screen upon clicking into it. Frustrated, he decided to try the other two files, one labeled 'BIOGRAPHY – Matthew' and another 'TOP SECRET'. Both files were inaccessible, and password protected. "…Interesting to know…" Kincaid said, after trying out possible password combinations and failing. "But, at least I know what his face looks like." A well-taken photo of the Venus Adept was on screen, wearing his usual attire, and smiling brightly.

"…Yes. It has to be a match. There's no other way… I will find out more about this boy. No matter what it takes. He might prove useful…"

-x-x-x-

**_A Letter_**

-x-x-x-

"_To Matthew,_

Thank you, nephew for sending us a letter. All of us are happy for you. Congratulations on being accepted into the school. Your father, mother, and Garet want you to know that we've seen, or rather heard, about your heroics on the S.S. Alchemy. We got word of it from Piers, who so happened to have been sailing nearby. We understand that you were trying to help—which is always a good thing. But, try to keep a low profile, all right?

Also, good news. I'll be moving there in about a few months. Found some good housing in this little village called Chicole. It's somewhere near that Ranger School. So yeah, I hope to get there as soon as possible. By the way, since you'll probably be using your Psynergy anyway, I sent you a few Psynergy Stones in a package along with this letter. You being stubborn like your father; it never ceases to amaze me. Be sure to use them wisely, you hear?

I'm glad you're making friends, Matt. Remember—don't ever reveal your powers to anyone…except those you seriously trust. Don't use your abilities against defenseless people. Only use it for your own self-defense or if protecting someone else. Our powers are still unwelcomed to a vast majority of people that exist in the world, the non-Adepts. It's 'invisible magic' to them. Many exceptions are some non-Adepts who can 'see' or 'feel it'.

Anyway, nephew, I look forward to hearing from you. Stay in shape, kid. Don't do anything too rash overthere. Stay focused and do your best.

_From Uncle Felix"_


	4. The Awaited Outdoor Class - and Keith?

Thanks everyone—which are my only two reviewers—for your kindly reviews and support! I appreciate them. Chapter responses:

XXShyNightmareXX (1): I'm glad you liked chapter 1! Well, there have been some other writers here that have actually blended GS and Pokémon together in stories. I'm sorry you didn't finish Golden Sun; maybe you will someday. :D Thank you for being my first reviewer—of course I'll continue this, albeit probably slowly. As for Matthew speaking Pokélanguage, I thought that was going to turn out lamely to be perfectly honest. Either way, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks again!

Zantetsuken Reverse (1): Thank-you! Lolyes, a lot—if not all—of the electric types shall fear Matthew's ground-type aura.

XXShyNightmareXX (2): And again, my thanks for your review! As for knowing about Keith—well, you'll find out in this chapter. :D So stay tuned and read along, my friend.

Zantetsuken Reverse (2): Thanks again for your review again as well. Yup, Felix is moving to be in the same region as Matt; it naturally makes sense. Since Felix was so kindly not in Dark Dawn (just mentioned) I figured I could give him some screen time with his only nephew. I know in Shadows of Almia, the parents and sister of the player moves to Chicole, but I didn't want to be too cliché with that and used Felix as a substitute for that bit. Yes, Psynergy around the capture line—as with Matthew being able to speak Pokélanguage, I thought that idea was kind of lame too. I'm glad it makes sense. As for Matthew's partner Pokémon, I've a Pokémon in mind, but if you or ShyNightmare want to suggest one to me (even a Generation 5 Pokémon—I can make exceptions) I'm up for them.

Ah yes. I made a sort of cover image for the story (finally). I made a Matt-ranger sprite using the male hero and Ice's hair. xD Lol. Anyway, without further or do, here is chapter four! Enjoy!

* * *

"Okay, I have a question for everyone. What day is it today?" Ms. April asked her class. The students cheerfully stood up in unison and jeered, "Outdoor Class!" Some even displayed a fist pump—who was none other than Keith.

"Oh, come on, we wouldn't forget about Outdoor Class!" Keith added in proudly. All the other students chuckled and added their own side comments to agree with their fellow classmate. "Ms. April! Keith told me he thought up thirty-eight questions to ask the Ranger." Rhythmi said aloud, making the others chuckle and Keith grinned boastfully as if put on the spotlight. Matthew simply shook his head at his friend. "Well, how enthusiastic!" the instructor smiled. "Okay, class, let's go outside. We'll gather in Ascension Square."

With that, Jason, Kate, Kellyn and Ms. April left the classroom on their own accord, leaving just the three friends to themselves. "Yahoo!" Keith jumped for joy. "I've waited so long for Outdoor Class!" He quickly exited the room after saying that. Rhythmi looked at where he was last standing, a blank stare as her expression. "Did he really say 'Yahoo!'? …Keith's too pumped for this."

"I can't blame him. It really sounds exciting." Matthew replied. He was now adorned in the same outfit as the boys' school uniform. It took awhile to order in his size, as he was a little taller than most of the growing teenaged boys in the school, and he had a relatively built bod to go along with it. As such, he was allowed to keep his own boots. Though, the new attire made his hair stand out even more. Heck, it was getting longer in the back. Maybe I should cut my hair… Nah…

"It really is!" the blonde giggled. "Anyway, do you remember where Ascension Square is?"

"Yeah."

"Okay! I'll meet you there!" Rhythmi beamed gleefully and walked out of the classroom herself. After she was gone, Matthew took a deep breath. Last month's events were fun, up until that Nightmare showed up. And, it escalated from bad to worse when Kincaid caught them red handed, and even saw Matthew use Psynergy. "…Kincaid… He saw me using my power. I only wanted to protect Keith. I was careless. Ugh…" Matthew closed his eyes, his hands running through his naturally spiked hair. "How do I tell this to Mom, Dad and Uncle? They'd tell me the same thing, really." He sighed lowly. "… maybe I shouldn't go to the Outdoor Class feeling this way."

Matthew finally left the homeroom and headed for the Library, rather than head outside. He needed some time to think. It was quiet when he walked in, despite having three other occupants—Isaac, Ponte, and a female student whom was reading about the History of Almia. The Earth Adept found an empty, lone desk, sat in one of the cushioned chairs, next to the windows. The morning sun was gleaming through the transparent window, shining on his features. However, Matthew's trail of thoughts weren't as happy as the apparent weather. He closed his eyes again, mulling, and put his head down between his arms.

-x-x-x-

**_That night, a month ago…_**

-x-x-x-

"AND STAY OUT!" boomed Kincaid angrily as the two boys raced off, escaping the creepy basement haunted by the ghosts. How could anyone stay there after dark? The fleeing boys dashed into the Library and found a small light of a lamp and turned it on, and sat at the chairs, trying to catch their breath. "Keith…aaah…are you all right?"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks Matt, for saving me."

The still glowing teen nodded, smiling. "I am…glad."

Keith examined his friend, now fully seeing his entirety. While he was transfixed on the light, he noticed Matthew's scraped knee, and the bleeding wound. "…Matt, you're hurt." The auburn knelt down in level of the injury.

"It's…fine, Keith. I'm all right."

"No you're not. You got hurt twice because of me." Keith replied steadily, and barely touched it. Without him knowing it, a light, purple aura with soothing properties emitted from the auburn, and healed Matthew's apparent wound completely. Keith was taken aback by this, perplexed. "Wh-what the? How'd I do that!? What _is_ that? M-magic?"

"…It's not magic exactly…"

Keith glanced up to Matthew and returned to his seat. His grey eyes were staring straight at his classmate, filled with worry, hurt, and confusion. "…Matt. I knew it. You're the guy who saved the S.S. Alchemy. You… lied and didn't fess up." Matthew frowned, his tired gaze upon the wooden floor. "Why, Matt? Aren't we friends?"

"Yes, we are, Keith." The blond replied softly, sitting up straight. "It's not that I didn't want to tell. I'm trying to keep a low profile. Imagine if I admitted I was the hero aboard… There would be news people everywhere I went… It would be hard to attend school normally with cameras, and probably fan-girls, all around." He paused a moment, taking a slow, deep breath. "I… don't like all that attention. I'm not used to it, and it gets me nervous. In my homeland, it's not like that so when you become 'well-known' in Weyard, you either get respected or resented. I rather stay hidden."

Keith's expression changed to that of understanding, seeing why his friend had kept his identity from him. "Oh, I see now. I'm… sorry Matt."

"It's fine, Keith. But, I should be apologizing to you. I lied to you, my friend. So, please accept my apology."

"…I do, even though you did nothing wrong."

A long pause split them apart before the redhead spoke up again. "…Uh, Matt?"

"Yes?"

"This might sound awkward but can you…teach me how to do all that magic stuff you did? And… I have some other questions too." He stopped when he had the other's attention and continued, "First off… You can talk to Pokémon. I want to know how you do that. Second, your Styler's capture line glows a faint yellow color when the disc is being steered, and third, why isn't your mouth moving when you're talking now?"

Matthew paused for a second, trying to get the immediate answers in his mind, "How I talk to Pokémon, I'm not even sure how. I just can understand them, and mimic their cries. It might be because of my power though. Secondly, my Styler, I had somehow infused my powers into it when I was in taking the entrance exam. I understand it kind of seemed like cheating, but I didn't think it would actually work. The Pikachu's sparks bounced off the capture line and I effectively caught it. Ever since then, my line's been enveloped in the energy…And for your third question, I'm still activating my power…" He stopped, closed his eyes, and the light in his flashing hair, hands and all around him, faded. He returned to his 'dull' normal colors; the light in the Library was all that illuminated the room now. "As for me teaching you," his mouth was moving now, "I can do that."

Keith was baffled by how Matthew 'turned off' his glowing, flashlight body but decided to not worry about it. He was happy to learn of this existing, mystical power. "I was born with my power, but you… you're very different. I could say you were born with yours, but it just never evolved after, and had been lain in dormancy… But, since you saw my Psynergy and performed your own version of it, then it's possible for you to grasp the next step."

"Uh, Psy-what?"

"Psy-ner-gy," Matthew said slowly, pronouncing each syllable carefully. "It's 'psychic energy'; you control the elements with your mind. Like for instance, when you came in contact with my wound, you were thinking of some way to heal it, and from that form of thought, your own Psynergy reacted and sprouted the healing technique." Keith's new expression was now a 'whoa, cool!' and his eyes lit up with newfound excitement. Matthew saw this and continued his small explanation, "There are four elements; earth, wind, fire and water. Someone who can use and manipulate these elements are called 'Adepts'."

"That's…amazing! Like a psychic-type Pokémon!"

"Uh, yeah."

"So, what's that step I need to take?"

Matthew tilted his head, and pounded his ears to make sure they were 'turned on' and he was hearing this right. "Seriously? You want to know right now?" The auburn nodded his head, being definitely serious at the moment. "Dead serious. I want to know what element I am—Oh wait, which one are you, Matt?"

"I'm an Earth Adept, one who can manipulate the soil and plants."

"Ah, cool! Then, I want to be an Earth one just like you."

"We'll see." Matthew rummaged through his pockets, and eventually pulled out some clusters of broken shiny, illuminating purple rocks. Keith eyed them and wondered how and why rocks got involved in this equation were. "What're those?" he asked curiously.

"It… was a Psynergy Stone. But, being in my pocket during this whole fiasco of a night, it probably got smashed. It's still okay, though."

"Okay. But, what does it do?"

Matthew proudly smiled, having a feeling his friend would ask that sooner or later. "To us Adepts, this mineral rock restores our Psynergy power when it's exhausted to full strength. For special people who aren't Adepts, it boosts your body and mind's power to channel and connect with inner energy. So, if a normal person touched this and willed themselves, they could become Adepts too. However, it won't be as strong like natural-born ones, but they are still formidable. In other words, it unlocks hidden Psynergy abilities."

"…I get it, now. So, if I touch this, it'll grant me my Psynergy powers and I'll be cool!" Keith brimmed brightly at that as analysis. "I'm thrilled about this!"

"Sort of. I have this feeling yours had been locked away, so perhaps if you touch this, it'll unlock them and exploit you to your Psynergy."

"Great! Let's do this!"

"All right, but Keith, promise me this: when you do get your powers, you won't use them for evil, and will only use it for self-defense, and protecting someone else. Promise me that you also won't tell ANYONE, including your family, about this power." Keith, appalled by this, raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why does it have to be a secret?"

"It's because a vast majority of non-Adepts, especially from Weyard, will, sadly, dislike us if they knew. Our powers are 'invisible magic' to them—they can't see it, and therefore, find it strange." Matthew bit his lower lip, fighting the next words that would come from his mouth, but he knew they had to be spoken. "Some call us freaks because they don't understand how it works and want nothing to do with us. Others abuse us for our powers for their own, personal gain. And… a small portion calls them 'gifts'. The world is so complex that Adepts just stay hidden and only show up when help cries."

"That's bull!" Keith blared angrily at the discrimination he was hearing. "Ugh, that isn't fair."

"…I know."

"But! I'll still be one anyway. I promise to my heart that I won't tell anyone. …Even Rhythmi…"

"Thank you, Keith. Oh, and I was going to eventually tell her. Just don't know when, but she's our friend, too. We can trust her."

Keith's face brightened up like a light. "Ah! Good to hear that!"

"…You're awfully happy about that. Are you sure you two aren't engaged yet?" the redhead's face burned a deep shade of red, nearly the same color as his hair, when that comment let out. He lightly punched his friend in the arm and huffed. "Sh-shush it, Matt!" The blond laughed lightly, and quietly, so to not disrupt sleeping students and other things asleep at this late hour. "Ha-ha-ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist." He stopped laughing, regaining his composure. "Anyway, take a few pieces of the stone." The auburn haired boy stopped grumbling and did as instructed.

"Now what?"

"First, can you feel anything from the stone?"

Keith closed his eyes, his grip on the remnant stone pieces were tight. He was following his mind, searching mentally and emotionally for something, until something clicked and connected. He gritted his teeth together, feeling warmth surging through his body. Inside his mind, Keith saw a person… with gradient of auburn colored wings, and four, ethereal looking swords surrounding them. Their hair was short, brown color, with two, thick locks flowing down. They were wearing a black and white colored outfit, and had piercing, red eyes. They were looking straight at him, into his soul. Despite how fierce they appeared to be, they were filled with kindness and serenity. Keith could tell this was a woman, but who was she? She felt almost something familiar to him, the way her crimson colored pupils traced over his body, and her soft, plump lips curved into a caring smile as if she had known him for a long time.

"…Matthew. I see someone… a woman." Keith breathed slowly, his eyes still closed to keep his focus tight on this angelic scene taking place inside his head. "She's…speaking to me, though. It's kind of creepy. Is she my…uh Psynergy locked away?"

"…A woman?" Matthew wondered, blinking. That was odd but continued on. "And… no your power isn't…I mean, doesn't come from people inside your mind. But… what is she saying?"

"She's saying, 'Keith, son of the lost, ancient Anemos. Through the many centuries you have been asleep, your power had been lain in dormancy, but now, it is time for them to awaken.' …What's an Anemos?" He opened his eyes, now apparently clueless. Then, something else snagged his attention, for the woman had said something else, "'My son'? Woah, wait a second… I'm her son!?" Matthew's mouth was tempted to gape open. Keith? Was he a long since descendant of the Anemos? How long was he alive on this earth?

"That can't be! I just got my power, and then all of a sudden—this is absurd!" Keith wailed, frustrated.

"…No… I think she's right, Keith." Matthew spoke soon after, "It is possible… It's Megaera."

"Megaera? …That name almost sounds familiar… Wait. Then, she is right! If it's familiar to me then…"

"She's most likely your real mother…"

Keith blinked a few times, trying to process all this in. Most of his mind was in disbelief that for such a long time, he had been raised by a foster family in the Almia region. The other parts of his mind believed this was his true maternal figure, and that side of him longed for the time to find the true meaning behind his identity. His lower lip quivered, and his eyes met the open palms of his hands. He closed them, his focus tightened that the Psynergy Stone fragments was absorbed into his body. "…She's saying… something else…" Keith mumbled quietly, after being in utter shock for a moment. "She's telling you thank you, Matthew. …And we'll meet a guy named Sven later on. She said to tell him that… Nereid is watching him."

The blond smiled, nodding. "Nereid? Oh boy…" It was for a moment that Keith's eyes closed suddenly, Matthew thought he exhausted himself, but soon realized the boy's body was enveloped in a light purple and red aura. When he reopened his eyes they had changed into the crimson eyes of the warrior goddess that Matthew was familiar with. He never knew the deity could take over other bodies… "…Megaera?"

"Matthew, a child of the Jenei, it is good to see you again." The Keith-controlled goddess said, smiling.

"Likewise. I didn't know you had a son."

"…Things do intend to happen when you fall in love with a mortal."

"I can see that. So, Keith's not a human. More like a demi-god, right?"

Megaera nodded, not ashamed of admitting the truth. "Correct. I can… trust you to keep an eye on him for me?" Matthew grinned, agreed with the light nod of his head, and he kept it bowed. He knew coping with Keith would be a task in itself, but, for the new Adept, he was the only one in this region that could possibly manage.

"Yes, ma'am." was his simple, honest reply.

The fire and wind goddess smiled again, warmly and as she disappeared, she said, "…Thank you, dear Matthew. From the bottom of my heart. Please keep Keith safe as much as you can. Teach him all he needs to know about his heritage… I will… come to meet him on occasions of course. …Farewell, child of the Jenei." She released the hold on Keith's body and the weary teen blinked and groaned to recuperate. "Ugh… what happened?" He questioned himself, then something strange happened; he heard a voice, sounding like an echoing of Matthew's thoughts and telling him something, or rather, he heard and saw them.

"Huh? Megaera used my body to talk to you?" Keith mumbled out. Matthew caught his classmate from tipping over in his seat, and a little irked he just read his mind without trying. Yep, he was a definite Wind Adept, and had the power to read minds like Ivan. Oh joy.

"…yes Keith, she did. And, you read my mind to boot."

"…I did…?"

"Yes…"

"Oh." He paused, and then gaped at the realization seconds later. "I _did_?! Woah! How did—? I wasn't even trying to!"

"I know. It's okay, Keith… You're a Wind Adept. They have power over, obviously, wind and lightning. And, they can read minds…" his voice seemed a little irritable at the last statement, even though he hid it slightly to not disturb his friend. "Oh, sweet, kind of. I wanted to be an Earth Adept like you. Ah well, I'm happy with what I got." Keith grinned big. "…Hey Matt, how come I can't hear your mind's little voice anymore?"

"It's because I put up a mental barrier. I'll show you how to do it too so you won't accidentally read minds like crazy tomorrow morning."

"Great! Thanks so much, Matt—wait. My mother took over my body? How? She's… not an Adept."

"Uh… I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Well, okay. Let's get to bed. I'm beat! All this talk about Psynergy and learning is exciting, but tiresome." Keith said, now yawning. Matthew mimicked him, yawns being as contagious as laughs. "Yeah," he agreed wholeheartedly. "A good night's rest will help us." The boys turned off the library light, and as they began to exit, out popped Isaac from the basement. The boys, all surprised to see one another up so late, decided to head up secretly to their dorm together. However, just one thing nagged Matthew's mind; Kincaid.

-x-x-x-

**_Present time – Library_**

-x-x-x-

_Keith… He has a long way to go…_ Matthew sighed inwardly. Just as he was pondering his thoughts, he felt a very strange sensation. It was strong, and had bad vibes screaming at his aura. He became tense, but didn't visibly show it. The only time he had this vibe, this feeling was when…

"Students are free to participate or not in the Outdoor Class." That voice… "There are much more important things. Such as… obeying rules." …is so familiar, so sinister… "Running in the hallways, _sneaking_ into the basement…" the man's voice emphasized 'sneaking', almost venomously. "Such breaches of rules aren't to be tolerated." Matthew could feel himself trembling, just like when he first met Blados back in the Konpa Ruins. The young Earth Adept dared himself to turn around—which he did—and came face to face, eye to eye, with Mr. Kincaid. Uh-oh. THIS, is the time when he felt that horrible, bad vibe.

"Decided not to participate in the Outdoor Class, young man?" If Matthew didn't know any better, this guy was sneering at him.

"…I am. I was only resting, but I think I'll go now." Matthew began, standing up from his chair impatiently, and walked away. At least he tried to, when the teacher stopped him by grabbing his arm with a firm hold. Startled by this act, Matthew looked quizzically terrified, his cobalt eyes finding the man's violet ones. "Wh-what are you doing? Let go!"

Kincaid greedily drew the boy closer, his grimy fingers sliding down his face as he examined the student carefully. "My… your eyes are 'the softest shades of blue'. And so is your face…"

Whatever this was, it was creping the Adept out. "…You have five seconds to let go of me." He threatened venomously, his 'soft shade of blue eyes' now turning into those of murderous, death glares. He didn't want to use Psynergy on this guy because he was a non-Adept, but he was clearly asking for it. Kincaid ran his long fingers into Matthew's hair and grabbed a few locks of it, causing the boy to yelp. "My… your hair is actually tender and naturally shaped that way—" Before the instructor could do anything else, Matthew pulled away, shoving the man off him and left the library in a hurry.

The curly haired teacher grinned as he watched his prey go. "You may run boy, but I'll find out about you…" Kincaid scrunched his hand that had a lock full of the golden strands of Matthew's hair. "…Very soon, heh heh heh." The girl reading the History of Almia looked at her teacher, befuddled by what he said and why he attacked the transfer student. She was confused, and was afraid to ask, as she feared he would come on her. In that sense, she pulled the book up to her face, and continued 'reading' the book. Kincaid had paid her no mind and simply left the Library, a wild, lustful grin plastered to his face. What a creepy guy.

-x-x-x-

**_Outside, Near Ascension Square_**

-x-x-x-

"Where is he? The Outdoor Class will start soon!" Rhythmi exclaimed worriedly. "I hope he didn't get lost…" Keith, who was standing next to her, closed his eyes a brief moment, and then reopened them. "No, he's not lost. Come on, Rhythmi. He's been here a whole month! He knows his way around."

"Yeah, but!" She started.

"He'll be fine. In fact, he'll be here in thirty seconds."

The two were standing outside leaning against the white fence by the stairs that led to Ascension Square. The blonde eyed her friend questionably at his response. "Really now? Because I don't—"

"He'll be here." Keith reminded her.

"This is weird coming from you, Keith! You're acting like a Psychic and—"

"Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting." Both friends craned their heads around to see their pal Matthew jogging up to them. They smiled, waving to him as he approached. "Hey, Matt! What's kept you? Outdoor Class is about to get started!" Keith lightly fumed, as he didn't want to miss out on the best opportunity of his life. Plus, he had thirty-eight questions ready to ask.

"Uh… I had to use the restroom?" He lied, nearly forgetting about Keith's newfound powers. Rhythmi took the bait and warmly smiled. "Oh, that's understandable. Anyway, I think the Ranger's already here."

"Yeah! There's a gangly Ranger with a giant fro!" added Keith excitedly.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Come on, come on!"

Rhythmi led the way as the two Adepts were close behind. Matthew's awfully cheery smile wasn't fooling Keith. The redhead took his suspicions to the next step; he tapped his fellow Adept on the shoulder, and a purple aura enveloped him like energy rings. Mind Read. _Matthew. _'_You're NOT okay, I can see it in your face and thought waves. You're disturbed and therefore you lied. What's the matter?_' he said in-thought communication, being the demanding type he was. The blond haired teen's awkward smile faded, turning into a sour frown. At least this conversation of theirs is private. Matthew's body began to envelop in a light, golden energy of three rings and he said, '_Even though I blocked my thoughts, you were still able to peer into them. You're getting stronger, Keith… But…_'

'_That's because I'm worried about you. Come on, tell me or I'll dig out the information myself._' In-mind Matthew sighed, as did his body in sync, at his friend's coercing. '_It was Kincaid…_' The Earth Adept paused a moment to gather his words, '_Before I came out here, I went to the Library to think. And then, he comes up out of nowhere and starts talking to me. You know how I get those bad vibes when he's around… So I turned around and there he was…_' Keith was steaming mad when he heard that teacher's name. It made him loathe the man so much, he wished he could summon a tornado to blow him off the face of the planet, or zap him dead.

'_But, as he talked, he mentioned last month's incident…_' Matthew continued, already feeling the wrath of Keith and his spiraling Psynergy.

'That_ no-good lowlife!_' Keith huffed irritably.

'I_ won't lie and say I wasn't tense because I was. Keith… he knows. He saw me, and you saw him see me. Well, of course, all he saw was me felling the Nightmare, but I could tell he saw my golden aura._'

Keith blinked. '_Wait. I thought you said non-Adepts couldn't see Psynergy? Like, it was 'invisible magic' to them?_'

Matthew shook his head as he went on. '_It is. But, I also mentioned that some non-Adepts could still 'see it' as in they feel it and know it's there, but can't comprehend why. It's possible. But, not only that, my Psynergy is integrated with Sol—_'

Keith stopped him again with another question, _Sol? Your sword?_

'_No. Sol, the embodiment of Light Psynergy. Remember that story I told you?_'

'_About the "Grave Eclipse"? Yeah. Your body during that time absorbed both the Sol and Luna energies, which collided with your own Psynergy, making it more diverse._' Without them knowing, the boys had slowed down to a stop to continue 'psynergetically' communicate. _'Yes. Since my Psynergy is mixed with those, it's either very possible to see my power or very impossible to see it, to both non-Adepts and Adepts alike. It's there, but they can only "feel it"._' Matthew added as his response.

'_…Well, maybe he just "felt" it._' Keith suggested, or rather assured for his own sake and hoped it was true. Matthew shrugged lightly, his frown growing duller and worried with his emotions. '_I really hope so._' Out-of-mind of their chat, Matthew sighed heavily in deep relief. '_…Thanks Keith. I feel a little better_.'

'_You're welcome—hey wait a second. He… He _grabbed_ you by the hair?!_' Uh-oh. Matthew lightly flinched. Maybe he relaxed a little bit too much and allowed his mind to ease up its mental barrier. And, Keith was always reading Matthew's mind, as he found it very interesting for entertainment in the past month. Crap he lowered his guard and next to a Wind Adept at that. '_Keith… he didn't hurt me. It's fine, it is okay—_'

'_Okay?! No, it's NOT okay! He harassed you, Matt! That's a bad thing and against the rules!_' Keith fumed, and his face expressed that hatred for the male teacher. '_Why that no good—! When I get my hands on that two-faced pedophile, I'm going to strangle him and zap his corpse to ashes!_'Just as the hot-headed boy raged, apparently, so did the winds. They were growing violent and powerful with each word Keith spat in anger; in other words, his emotions were taking control of his Psynergy!

'_Keith! Calm down!_' Matthew pleaded, hoping the redhead would listen. But, he refused, stubbornly. He was so enthralled on vengeance that everything around him was inaudible. He hated Kincaid with an undying passion; he always had when he first signed up at the school. Seriously, that instructor got on his nerves. He would accuse him of every little thing that went wrong just because! Ugh, he was frustrating! The students who were standing outside at Ascension Square, including Mr. Lamont, Ms. April, and the guest Ranger, freaked out from the powerful whipping of the winds. "Kids! Be calm! It's just a strong wind that's blowing by!" Ms. April tried reassuring them.

"It is… most certainly windier than usual! My, this is the _strongest_ wind I've ever felt!" Mr. Lamont added, holding onto his glasses.

"Eeek!" Rhythmi squeaked in horror, holding onto her hair and shutting her eyes tight. Matthew acted fast—he slipped on a white, leather padded gauntlet glove onto his right—he naturally kept some things on hand—and summoned a giant, ivory hand of Psynergy and performed the of Slap. It struck Keith psynergetically, snapping the teen across his face.

"Ow!" he bellowed, feeling it in more ways than he wanted it to. The violent winds ceased when he snapped to; the sky cleared up and the ominous clouds disappeared. "What was that for!?" Keith glared at his Earth Adept friend, who put the glove away.

'_Hello, earth to Keith. Your emotions are tied to your Psynergy. Try to keep them under control or you'll blow people away, just like you almost did with the class._' Matthew replied, the psynergy rings of earth power enveloped him as he spoke telepathically. Keith's face slumped to a worried one when his friend told him of the warning, and his eyes found the ground below. '_…I'm sorry Matt… I just got so mad. Kincaid really rubs me the wrong way._'

'_I know. I understand how you feel. But, even if he did harass me, we don't have 'solid proof'. Isaac, Ponte, and that girl in there were lost in their own little world, they wouldn't have known. Plus, who would believe us?_'

'_Psychic Pokémon._' The auburn added sharply.

'_Come on, Keith. I mean people._'

Keith frowned. '_…then nobody would. That sucks!_'

"Is everyone all right?" asked Principal Lamont. The students nodded, brushing their hair back to normal and re-gathered around the afro-haired Ranger. "That was quite an odd occurrence." Keith and Matthew joined the crowd as that was spoken. '_I know it sucks… But there's nothing we can do, so just let it go… for now. We'll just have to be wary around him._'The redhead grumbled, muttering something about 'we already are wary around that freak'. However, he sighed, and inwardly agreed anyway.

'_Fine. But if he pulls any more funny stunts, I'm toasting his rear end hard!_'

'_Fair enough… Now, let's enjoy the Outdoor Class. Get your questions ready, Keith._'

-x-x-x-

**_Outdoor Class!_**

-x-x-x-

"Ahem. Well, it appears as if everyone's with us. Let's get this Outdoor Class started." Principal Lamont began. "Boys and girls, this is Crawford." The brown-wearing man turned to the Ranger standing amidst the crowd of students, "He's a graduate of this Ranger School. And now, he's a Pokémon Ranger in Vientown."

The afro brunet grinned wide and waved to the students. "Hi, I'm Crawford! Nice to meet you, everyone!" He greeted them happily.

"Thank you for coming!" the students chirped in unison, all returning grateful smiles. Even the usually tensed Matthew was loosening up. A small, budding Pokémon with a sad yellow face popped out from behind the Ranger. "This here's my Partner Pokémon, Budew." Four more Pokémon that Matthew had never seen before appeared around the Ranger—a flower creature with its green petals used as a dancing skirt, with red flowers on its head, Bellossom, a three-headed, yellow-colored honeycomb thing with the bottom head having a red blotch on its forehead and fairy-like fluttering wings, Combee, another was a pinkish cherry with stubby legs, a cute smile that resembled a young child, and had a stem with a smaller cherry from its head, and a big leaf, Cherubi, and lastly, a handsome, blue bird that looked just like Taillow, which Matthew assumed must be its 'evolution', Swellow. The four other creatures looked happy to be around Crawford.

"And these are my Friend Pokémon!"

"Wow, so cool!" most of the students breathed, gasping in awe and marveled how well the Friend Pokémon got along with each other. It was also because these Pokémon were different than the ones the school provided for training exercises. Ms. April stepped forward a little, smiling at the afro-haired Ranger. "Hi, Crawford! It's been a long time! But that giant explosion of an afro… I think I liked your hairstyle the way it was before. It makes me nervous to see that kind of jumbled-up outgrowth of anything." Everyone laughed at her last comment. "…But that's enough of that.

"We're all here, so let's begin! Let's get to Outdoor Class' main event: The Question-&-Answer Session of Terror!" Crawford's usually peppy smile changed a little, and he sighed an "oh dear" lightly as Ms. April continued. "Let the questioning begin!" The gathered students began to mumble and jitter in excitement, their questions sprouting into their heads like daisies.

"Crawford, why did you decide to become a Ranger?" asked Jason.

"Well, it's because I love Pokémon." He started, "I wanted to become friends with them. You know, to bond with them." He grinned as he continued on, "Besides, it's a cool job!" Jason's face lit up, thrilled and satisfied with the answer to his question. "Th-that's the same way I feel! I'm glad I asked you!"

"I have a question!" a female student named China piped in. "What kinds of Pokémon are difficult to capture?" The afro brunet turned to her, pondering a little and then answered, "Hm, well speaking for only myself… Psychic and Ghost-group Pokémon, yeah. They have this habit of going poof and disappearing during captures."

"They do?" Matthew silently wondered, recalling his personal experience a month ago. Those Gastly sure didn't 'go poof' when he was capturing them. Then again, he had looped them so fast they didn't have time to.

"Ghost Pokémon do that?!" China nearly echoed Matthew's wondering question. Crawford nodded as his response. The students began chattering amongst themselves, thinking of more questions until a certain blonde chirped. "Me! I'm next!" Rhythmi said happily, raising her arm and catching the Ranger's attention. "My name is Rhythmi. There isn't anything I'd rather do than become an Operator. Do you think I can become one? You can tell I will become one, can't you?"

Crawford mulled over the girl's question a moment before replying with, "Hm, I'm only seeing you for the first time ever, so it's not like I know, but…" At his light pause, Rhythmi's face had fell a little, "Sure! No problem! You'll be an Operator all right!" She brightened up, like Jason did previously, and giggled in delight. She was excited to hear such a positive answer. "That's right! Those are the words I wanted to hear! Yes!" Keith looked towards her, laughing lightly.

"Rhythmi… Are you maybe confusing our Ranger with a fortune-teller or something?" He raised an eyebrow at her, and she simply replied with a 'hmph!'. Matthew shook his head at their small banter, and remained quiet. "Excuse me, Ranger. How about me? Will I become a Ranger?" Crawford face his questioner, Keith, giving him an odd stare.

"Say… Aren't you confusing me with a fortune-teller, too?"

The other students chuckled, muttering about Keith's light hypocritical action. He glared at each of them, and they soon stopped laughing at their auburn haired classmate. "But, I can tell this about you: your strong will shines through loud and proud. I'm sure you'll make it. Why, you might even have the fixings to make a better Ranger than me!" Crawford continued, his wide, enthusiastic grin on his face. "But, that's if you can avoid spinning your wheels, so to speak."

"Uh… Is that right?!" Keith grinned wide as well, feeling proud already. "I'll do the best I can!" He fist pumped in the air, and then paused a second, "Um, okay, here's my second question…"

"No fair, Keith! One question each!" hollered Kate. "Ranger Crawford's busy, too." She was rewarded with a scowl and low grumble from him before she pressed on. "Anyway! So, on to my question. Have you ever made any mistakes?"

"Mistakes, you ask? That's all there was when I started. Like, the time I dumped my juice all over my Styler. That was nasty. Or the time I tried capturing a stuffed doll—" the students were lightly chuckling, containing their giggles, at least everyone except Matthew and Keith. They just blinked, staring at one another as they listened, but couldn't help but join into the bouts of small laughs, too. "—Oh, and another time, I put my Ranger uniform on top of pajamas…" He stopped himself, noticing where this was going and he immediately grew embarrassed. "…Hold up, don't make me say these things!" Crawford blushed.

"Hahahahaha!" the crowd burst out laughing, the crowd being the students. Ms. April face palmed and Mr. Lamont was snickering to himself.

"Anyway, what makes you glad that you became a Ranger?" Kellyn was next to ask. Crawford released his flushed expression and sighed in relief that the topic and rounds of giggles ceased. "I'd have to say the big smiles we get to see after helping people or Pokémon in need." He answered genuinely.

"I hope I get to see smiles like that soon!" Kellyn replied happily.

"That's the spirit! Keep that spirit burning and you'll be sure to succeed. You know, I'm looking forward to the chance of working with you folks some day. Keep a positive attitude and work hard!"

"We will!" the class exclaimed cheerfully.

"My question next!" shouted another female student, Lyla. "Ranger Crawford, has Ms. April ever been angry with you?" The afro brunet chuckled lightly as he face aforesaid—and mentioned—instructor. "I'll say she has! She used to blow up at me once a day!"

Ms. April heard this, shook her head and stepped forward again to interject. "Now, you know that isn't true. It wasn't once a day. It had to be at least three times a week." She said, correcting him. "…But, that's not the whole story. Crawford was a wonderful student. He kept everyone's spirits up with his kindness and sense of humor." The students awed and marveled the Ranger some more until something rang in alert! It startled everyone—except the teachers and Crawford—into light shock. It was coming from Crawford's Styler!

"**Voicemail! Voicemail! Crawford, do you hear me? It's me, Barlow!" Barlow? Who was that? "There's a Mantine hurt off the eastern shore of School Island. The Mantine apparently ran into a cargo ship. Luana's headed to the School by boat for you. Join up with her and head to the site immediately. We're going to need your help on this one!**" Oh! It was a Mission being given by Crawford's boss over the Styler's—Matthew guessed—device of communication properties, whatever it was. This technology stuff was really something!

"Roger Leader!" Crawford confirmed in a serious tone. Some of the students had their mouths agape, staring and saying, "So cool…" and "Please save that Mantine!" The afro brunet did his Ranger pose—which he laughed heartily, throwing his head back, then spinning around, jabbing his right arm and index finger into the air with purpose. "Hold on, Mantine! We're coming to save you!" He then turned to Mr. Lamont, "Principal Lamont! Since the students are so worried, I'll report back on how the Mission went. I'm sorry I have to cut the Outdoor Class short like this!"

The head Principal merely shook his head, smiling warmly as he did. "There's no need to apologize," he replied, "Besides, listen." A loud, horn of sorts alerted them that a vessel was approaching. "Isn't that your boat?" Everybody's attention turned to the aforesaid boat and saw a girl with black hair and blue eyes, also adorned in Ranger clothes suited for a female, come out of the Captain's Cabin, waving to her fellow Ranger. "Crawford, get on quickly!" she shouted. This must be that Luana that Barlow mentioned. She looked pretty, Matthew thought, smiling to himself and watching the ebony-haired young woman's movements. "We're heading to the site!"

The brunet jogged up to the wooden pier, with his Pokémon following behind him. He waved to the children and said, "All right, students, keep working at it! Let's meet again somewhere sometime!" With that, he and his Pokémon jumped—or in Taillow's case, flew nearby—into the boat. The girl Ranger opened the door to the quarters and began steering the motor-powered boat out like a flash! A silent pause of amazement draped around the class when Adam, a male student, broke it. "It's like we got to see an awesome scene."

"That boat's already tiny on the horizon…" said Kate, who was squinting her eyes just to see the small dot in the far-off waters.

"Well, everyone!" Ms. April interjected yet again, "That was the shortest Outdoor Class ever. But it certainly was the most gripping and realistic of all Outdoor Classes, too." The students turned to her as she continued on, "Okay everyone. Let's return to our classrooms." The kids all filed from Ascension Square, one by one, following after Mr. Lamont and Ms. April. However, Keith, Matthew and Rhythmi lingered there for awhile, and huddled near each other, their faces beaming.

"You know, I'm getting even more pumped up about becoming a Ranger." The redhead spoke up first. "I still have thirty-seven questions left, but I think I'm going to find those answers myself!"

Rhythmi giggled, "A real Ranger guaranteed that I would become an Operator!"

"There are no guarantees anywhere." Keith spoke up after Rhythmi, and the two looked each other in the eye as he went on. "You have to grab a hold of your dreams and make them come true!"

"Well said, Keith." Matthew praised.

"Thanks, Matt!" the redhead replied, proud of his 'encouraging' words.

The blonde haired girl sighed a little, "You two think I don't know that?" The boys shook their heads in response. "I'm going to do it. I'll make my dream come true!"

"I'm not going to lose, either! Not when I have a rival—and a friend—like Matthew around!" Keith said, brimming with bright energy as was his smile. Matthew chuckled at Keith's comment, but was also agreeing. "I'll also make my Ranger dream something worth accomplishing as well. I didn't travel this far only to leave with nothing."

"Hey! Why don't the three of us make a pledge right now by the Pledge Stone?" suggested the auburn. "Let's pledge to each other that we'll make our dreams come true!"

"You bet! I'll pledge to that!" Rhythmi chirped in agreement. "What about you, Matthew?" The two 'lovers'—as the Earth Adept always found them to be—glanced to his two friends, his cobalt eyes widened in slight surprise at their staring at him. He closed his eyes meekly, scratching his head, and then nodded to them. "Of course!" the blond haired male responded sincerely.

"That's the spirit! Let's get back to class!" Rhythmi said happily. The boys agreed they should get a move on before their teacher and classmates start worrying—and to avoid a scolding. Three friends, three goals, and one solid dream melded together, they rushed up the stairs, laughing, but determined to live by their newly made pledge. Despite the incident with Kincaid earlier, the two Adepts decided to push that out of their minds now. They had something more important to do than worry about that curly blond instructor.

* * *

Note: I know "psynergetically" is not a word, but oh well!


End file.
